July Update

On Friday, April 12, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2453, enacting the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact for the state! That makes Kansas the sixth state to pass this important legislation. The progress on the DDH Compact results from years of hard work on local and national ADHA levels together with the ADA, CSG, DoD and many other oral healthcare partners. We are one state away from operationalizing this compact, rolling up our sleeves, forming a commission and beginning the work of process and procedure so you can start practicing across state lines in the participating states. Keep the legislation rolling and join the movement! Learn more at ddhcompact.org

March Legislative Updates on Licensure Compact  

As we near, the end of March, I wanted to update everyone on how IDHA is working for you. The legislative session has begun, and we have filed a bill with legislative sponsors for the licensure compact. In the senate, the bill is SB2982.  In the House of Representatives, the bill is HB4579. We all know how beneficial having licensure reciprocity would be for dental hygienists. Instead of jumping through hoops to receive a state license elsewhere, being part of the compact would facilitate the process. States currently in the compact include: Iowa, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington State. Many other states are currently going through legislative sessions and the compact is moving through the process. For Illinois RDHs to be part of the licensure reciprocity, Illinois must be part of the compact. We are dealing with some legislative, state, and dental opposition, which could result in the house and senate bills dying. It is imperative for us to reach out to our legislators to advocate for this bill. Please reach out to your STATE Senator and Representative to show support for this bill. If you have had difficulty in getting your Illinois license, we would appreciate any written testimony from you to present to the subcommittee.

Currently, there is also a bill for dental therapist language to be added to the Illinois Dental Practice Act. This bill was NOT presented by IDHA or by ISDS. Many states are introducing a dental therapy bill this legislative year. We, as an Association, are NEUTRAL regarding this bill.  If you would like to show support for the dental therapist bill, when filling out a witness slip, please put SELF.