AGD Capitol Connections

On May 7, 2024, House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ-6) wrote a letter to HRSA, urging the agency to increase its per resident allocation (PRA) for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program by $10,000 for the next academic year beginning on July 1, 2024.

Roughly 30 AGD advocates, including its leadership team, traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with federal policymakers during the week of May 20, 2024.

The AGD Advocacy Fund supports national and constituent advocacy efforts by providing resources to tackle new matters, such as legislation or legal action affecting the practice of general dentistry.

On May 16, 2024, the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing entitled, Examining the Dental Care Crisis in America: How Can We Make Dental Care More Affordable and More Available? The hearing examined the root causes of barriers to accessing adequate dental care including workforce shortages and student loan debt, and potential policy solutions to fill these gaps.

The AGD Advocacy Fund supports national and constituent advocacy efforts by providing resources to tackle new matters, such as legislation or legal action affecting the practice of general dentistry.

On April 26, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra released a statement delaying the finalization of a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially proposed a ban on menthol cigarettes on April 28, 2022, in a proposed rule entitled, Tobacco Product Standard for Menthol in Cigarettes.

On May 1, 2024, the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing entitled, Hacking America’s Health Care: Assessing the Change Healthcare Cyber Attack and What’s Next. Additionally, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee held a hearing entitled, Examining the Change Healthcare Cyberattack.

On April 22nd Maine Governor Janet Mills signed legislation creating the Interstate Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. The Compact became active when the seventh state enacted the Compact language. Maine joined Washington, Iowa, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Virginia and Kansas as initial Compact states.

On April 7, 2024, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5) and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released a discussion draft of federal privacy legislation, entitled the American Privacy Rights Act.

On April 8-9, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted the 2024 Quality Conference. The conference theme was "Resilient and Ready Together: Creating an Optimal Environment for Quality Healthcare for Individuals, Families, and Communities."

On April 2, 2024, AGD and other oral health advocacy organizations sent a letter to House Energy & Commerce and House Ways & Means Committee leadership in support of H.R.7814, the Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Assistance Act

On March 20, 2024, the Senate passed S.Res.567, a bipartisan resolution to designate March 18, 2024, as the inaugural "Health Workforce Well-Being Day of Awareness."

On March 11, 2024, the Biden Administration released its FY 2025 Budget Proposal. The Budget Proposal provides insight into the administration’s policy priorities, even though these legislative proposals are unlikely to be considered by the current Congress.

On March 23, 2024, President Biden signed a ‘minibus’ appropriations package for the remaining six of the 12 spending bills, finalizing fiscal year (FY) 2024 funding and averting a government shutdown.

On February 28, 2024, Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) introduced S.Res. 567, a bipartisan resolution to designate March 18, 2024, as the inaugural "Health Workforce Well-Being Day of Awareness."

On March 8, 2024, the House of Representatives passed the Action for Dental Health Act of 2023 (H.R. 3843) by a vote of 391 to 32. Thank you to the hundreds of AGD members who contacted their Representative via our action alert.

On March 9, 2024, a government shutdown was averted when President Biden signed a ‘minibus’ appropriations package for six of the 12 spending bills, including the Agriculture/FDA appropriations.

On February 8, 2024, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a final rule entitled, Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records.

On February 21, 2024, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a report entitled, Strengthening Health Data Privacy for Americans: Addressing the Challenges of the Modern Era.

On February 20, 2024, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced a bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to explore ways that Congress can support AI innovation while establishing appropriate guardrails