 |
National LegislationAGD continuously monitors national legislation so that the organization can communicate the interest of the general dentist to interested parties. In addition, the organization maintains policies to communicate the AGD position when speaking to national legislators on the general dentists’ behalf. AGD encourages its members to advocate on behalf of the profession as well. Review the current list of the AGD dental care and legislative policies to use in your communications with local lawmakers. In addition, the AGD publishes updates on national legislation that may affect general dentists. Click on the links below to learn more about national legislation that the AGD is monitoring or view earlier legislative updates from the AGD by click on the archive link on the right.
Staff for the House and Senate Appropriations Committees is expected to begin compiling an omnibus appropriations bill that will include up to six appropriations bills. Included in the omnibus bill will be the Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education Appropriations (LHE) bill. This bill funds several oral health-related programs, including Title VII health professions training programs for general, pediatric, and public health dentists; Ryan White HIV/AIDS oral health programs; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public oral health programs; and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research oral health research programs.
While the House of Representatives passed its version of the fiscal year (FY) 2010 LHE bill this summer, the measure has not yet been considered on the Senate floor. At this time, it does not appear that the Senate will debate the bill because of the time devoted to debate over the health care reform bill. Rather, the Appropriations Committee staff will work to reconcile the House-passed LHE bill with the version of the bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee and add it to the omnibus bill. Congress must pass the omnibus bill (with the LHE bill included) by Dec.18, when a temporary stop-gap spending measure known as a continuing resolution (CR) expires. The fiscal year began on Oct.1, 2009, and the CR has temporarily funded (at FY 2009 levels) oral health programs covered by the LHE bill.
Impact on General Dentistry: Both the House-passed LHE bill and the version of the bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee call for increases in funding for each of the aforementioned oral health programs, all of which relate to general dentistry. It is likely that the reconciled version of the LHE bill included in the omnibus bill will call for similar increases for these programs. The AGD has sent letters to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees calling for significant increases to these programs; the AGD will track this matter closely.
|
