Illinois

Plan to Bar Yoga Teacher Training Heads to Rauner's Desk

A bill prohibiting state regulation of yoga teachers will be sent to the governor's office Thursday

A measure that prohibits new state regulations for yoga teachers will be sent to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk Thursday to be signed into law.

The bill would exempt yoga instruction and yoga teacher training from state oversight as a trade, occupation, vocation or professional school.

The measure, which is sponsored by Sen. Don Harmon and Rep. Daniel Burke, received bipartisan backing in the Illinois legislature in recent month. Supporters call it a pro-business move that cuts into unneeded government regulation.

“There’s simply no reason for Illinois to regulate something that, for most people, is a personal pursuit, not a profession or a career,” Harmon said in a statement. “It makes no sense from a business standpoint, from a government standpoint or from a practical standpoint.”

According to a release provided by Harmon’s office, some yoga teacher training programs received notifications this year from the Illinois Board of Higher Education informing them that they would be subject to state regulation as vocational schools and that they would need IBHE approval to operate in Illinois.

The measure passed unanimously in the Illinois Senate in April. It passed unanimously in the Illinois House of Representatives Wednesday.

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