State Update

At the December 3 Board of Water Works Trustees’ Planning Committee meeting, Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) staff announced the utility, which serves approximately 500,000 customers in Central Iowa, will continue community water fluoridation at the current level of 0.7 mg/L. The issue was opened up for public comment at the October committee meeting and DMWW staff solicited comments, research and studies on fluoridation. According to DMWW, approximately 650 comments were received. The Board of Water Works Trustees held their regularly scheduled meeting, which includes a public comment period, on December 17, but took no action on the issue of community water fluoridation.

Missouri has hired B. Ray Storm, D.D.S., M.B.A., to serve as the new state dental director. The position had been vacant since 2003. Dr. Storm will lead and coordinate statewide efforts to address oral health for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS), MOHealthNet Division. The hiring of Dr. Storm to the position is due in large part to the efforts of Rep. Donna Lichtenegger (R-MO), who worked as a dental hygienist for nearly 40 years, and the members of the Missouri House Oral Health Issue Development Committee. Rep. Lichtenegger's committee worked with the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health, Missouri Dental Association and the Missouri Foundation for Health to bring the need for a dental director to the attention of the members of the Missouri General Assembly.

Vermont On December 19, Sen. Kevin Mullin (R-VT) pre-filed S.B. 235. The bill authorizes a community dental health coordination pilot project and seeks to expand dental education in classroom settings. Specifically, S.B. 235 requires the Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Vermont Oral Health Coalition, to design a Community Dental Health Coordinator Pilot Project for the purpose of increasing access to oral health care by using community dental health coordinators as members of dental teams in regions of the State designated by the Commissioner. The proposed bill defines Community Dental Health Coordinator as a dental assistant, dental hygienist or other trained dental professional certified by the Commissioner of Health to provide educational services, preventive and limited palliative care services, and dental assessment services in a variety of settings under the supervision of a licensed dentist.

For additional information on state legislation affecting academic dentistry, please visit the ADEA United States Interactive Legislative Tracking map. The map is updated daily and will allow members to view: The current status of bills, Upcoming hearing dates, and Current bill text and bill author/sponsor information. Please be advised that the ADEA United States Interactive Legislative Tracking map has been refreshed for the 2014 legislative session. Meaning, all legislation for the calendar year 2013 session, and the 2012-2013 session has been removed, except for final governor action which has not been completed and carryover bills (some states allow measures that were not final enacted during the last session or year to be carried over to the next session for consideration).  However, newly filed and introduced legislation for the 2014 session will remain on the map. And of course, as new bills relevant to academic dentistry are introduced, the bills will be added to the map. To use the interactive map, visit www.adea.org/legislativemap.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), voters in six states considered 31 ballot measures on November 5. Three of the six states had measures on their ballots that are of interest to the dental education community.

The majority of states will convene for their 2014 regular legislative session in January. State legislatures will address issues such as health care reform, continued implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), alternative workforce models, regulating cigarettes and e-cigarettes, Medicaid reform, higher education policy and financing issues, and state budgets. To find out when your state legislature will convene, click here. For additional information on state legislation affecting academic dentistry, please visit the ADEA United States Interactive Legislative Tracking map. The map is updated daily and will allow members to view: The current status of bills, Upcoming hearing dates, and Current bill text and bill author/sponsor information. Please be advised that on or shortly after January 1, 2014, the ADEA United States Interactive Legislative Tracking map will be refreshed. Meaning, all legislation for the calendar year 2013 session, and the 2012-2013 session will be removed, unless the final governor action has not been completed or the state allows carryover bills (meaning measures that were not final enacted during the last session or year may be carried over to the next session for consideration).  However, newly filed and introduced legislation for the 2014 session will remain on the map. And of course, as new bills relevant to academic dentistry are introduced, the bills will be added to the map. To use the interactive map, visit www.adea.org/legislativemap.

On November 4, the Columbia City Council voted against a proposal to stop fluoridating the city's water supply. The fifth-largest city in Missouri, Columbia has been fluoridating its water since 1973. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, approximately 133 communities in Missouri are currently supplementing the natural fluoride level in their water systems. To learn more about which Missouri counties are receiving fluoridated water, click here.

On October 30, the New York City Council approved legislation, by a 36-9 vote, to raise the legal age for buying tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21 years old. According to the City Council, in New York City, 80% of adults who become daily smokers start smoking before reaching the age of 21. Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I-NY) signed the bill on November 19.

On October 23, the National Governors Association (NGA) announced the new leadership of NGA’s standing committees for the 2013–14 year. Education and Workforce Committee Gov. Steven Beshear (D-KY), chair Gov. Brian Sandoval (R-NV), vice chair Health and Human Services Committee Gov. Bill Haslam (R-TN), chair Gov. Peter Shumlin (D-VT), vice chair Economic Development and Commerce Committee Gov. Robert Bentley (R-AL), chair Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D-WV), vice chair The chair and vice chair for the Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee and the Natural Resources Committee were also announced.

For additional information on state legislation affecting academic dentistry, please visit the ADEA United States Interactive Legislative Tracking map. The map is updated daily and will allow members to view: The current status of bills, Upcoming hearing dates, and Current bill text and bill author/sponsor information. For those states whose legislative sessions have adjourned “sine die,” the bills listed have been either signed by the governor or they have automatically become law without the governor’s signature. Users will be able to see the effective date of the legislation, unless the bill has been vetoed. As new bills relevant to academic dentistry are introduced, the bills will be added to the map. To use the interactive map, visit www.adea.org/legislativemap.