With all the major issues facing the entire state of North Carolina and eastern North Carolina, does requiring a masseuse to be proficient with the English language belong among such issues?

Apparently the state senator who represents District 1 in the North Carolina Senate believes so. So much so that Bill Cook, the Republican who represents District 1, which includes Beaufort County, felt compelled to introduce a bill that would amend General Statute 90-629 by adding a new subdivision that reads: “(7) The applicant demonstrates satisfactory proof of proficiency in the English language.” If the bill becomes law, it would take effect Oct. 1 of this year.

General Statute 90-629 addresses requirements of massage and bodywork licensure.

With issues such as education, infrastructure needs across the state, protecting the environment and whether to make local judicial elections partisan to consider, the senator from District 1 wants to make sure your masseuse is proficient in English. Perhaps the public is more concerned with a masseuse doing a proper massage rather than if the masseuse can conjugate verbs in English.

To be fair, Cook has introduced some bills that make sense. One such bill would make it a Class 3 misdemeanor to deny access to public records for the purpose of inspection and examination or copying those records. That’s a good bill that deserves support.

Where did the impetus for the bill come from?

“A constituent who resides in Sen. Cook’s district brought this issue to the Senator last year. The constituent serves on the N.C. Board of Massage & Bodywork Therapy. We tried to get it corrected/added to a bill during the short session, but we simply ran out of time,” reads an email from Jordan Hennessey, Cook’s legislative assistant.

A May 9, 2016, letter from the N.C. Board of Massage & Bodywork Therapy reads: “Public protection requires that a person seeking to be a licensed as a massage and bodyworks therapist in North Carolina should be proficient in the English language so the therapist and client can communicate … and be aware of medical and health indications and contraindications before, during and after … treatments.”

The letter was sent to Cook and state Sen. Fletcher L. Hartsell Jr.

Proficiency in English for a masseuse or protecting the state’s coastal environment?

Hands down it should be the environment.