The Legsislative Ledger
 April 2012
ASDA Advocacy
National Dental Student Lobby Day

Lobby Day 2012 Issues
More than 300 dental students will meet in Washington, D.C. for National Dental Student Lobby Day April 16-17. Students will hear from speakers from organized dentistry and Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (R-AZ), one of two dentists in Congress. The issues students will be lobbying are H.R. 1666 Breaking Barriers to Oral Health and H.R. 4170 Student Loan Forgiveness Act. Read more here.

Going to Lobby Day? Talk about it with other attendees on the event's Facebook page.Like us on Facebook
From the States
Workforce Update
Though 2011 saw no movement in legislation with alternative workforce models, 2012 may see some major challenges ahead, especially in New England. The Pew Foundation is planning on introducing a "midlevel" provider bill in Maine in 2012, despite pushback from the Maine Dental Association. New Hampshire and Vermont are both seeing initiatives taken on by Pew and the Kellogg Foundation, respectively for alternative workforce models like the dental therapist. So far, no votes have been taken to date. (SLR).
Water Fluoridation
Legislation has been introduced in Illinois and New Hampshire that could remove mandates for fluoridation in the municipal water supply. This may be seen as a backlash for one of the Center for Disease Control's major public health initiatives of the 20th century. Both dental societies have expressed opposition to these bills, and hope no further movement is seen in legislature. Conversely, New Jersey and Vermont have bills that would require water systems to fluoridate, with the New Jersey bills seeing significant progress out of Committee and awaiting a vote in the Senate. (SLR).

 

From the States
2013 Budget
President Obama's Fiscal Year 2013 budget kept the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding at a flat $31 billion, while the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) funding saw a 2 percent decrease from FY 2012 to $408 million. Overall, significant spending reductions were seen in programs important to academic dentistry.

Interested in a career in pediatrics? The Title VII Health Professions Programs saw a $40 million funding decrease from last year, but a new program established through the Affordable Care Act allotted $5 million to a Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program. No funding was cut to residency programs in General, Pediatric and Public Health Dentistry. (ADEA WU).  

Please view the ADEA Washington Update and the ADA's State Legislative Report for more information on these topics.

In This Issue
-Lobby Day 2012 Issues
-Workforce Update
-Water Fluoridation
-2013 Budget
Legislative Grassroots Network

Chair
Ian Murray, Western '13

ADPAC Student Director 
Gordon 'Ross' Isbell, Alabama '14

Districts 1-3 Legislative Coordinator:
Christina Shaw, Connecticut '14

Districts 4-5 Legislative Coordinator:   
Phillip Bell, Florida '14

Districts 6-7 Legislative Coordinator:
Ashley Ginsberg, Illinois '14 

Districts 8-9 Legislative Coordinator:   
Emily Tschetter, Nebraska '14

Districts 10-11 Legislative Coordinator:  
Spencer Armuth, Las Vegas '14

Staff Liaison
Meghan Keelean, CMP


FacebookFlickrYouTubeLinkedIn