VDHA

2017 End of Session Summary

The 2017 Virginia General Assembly session is coming to a close and will adjourn on Saturday, February 25. While this was a “short session,” the legislature was still very productive and passed hundreds of bills. The last agenda item for them is to review the final budget conference report and pass a budget before Sine Die.

This was Governor McAuliffe’s final session and his last opportunity to get his policy priorities through. It is also an election year, with the entire House of Delegates and the statewide offices up for election in November.

We are thrilled that our remote supervision legislation, HB 1474, passed both the House of Delegate and Senate unanimously. We are now just waiting for Governor McAuliffe’s signature.! As you know, the legislation made a few necessary changes to the bill we passed in 2016. The changes included:

  • Dental Hygienists will no longer have to be employed by the supervising dentist. It’s been changed to allow the clinics and facilities to employ the dental hygienist.
  • The required continuing education course will be designed to develop the competencies needed to provide care under remote supervision.
  • As long as a patient verbally confirms they do not have a dentist, the dental hygienist does not need permission from the dentist.
  • Dental hygienists no longer have to contact the dentist prior to serving someone with medical complexities, as long as a written protocol is established beforehand.

Language was also added to the bill to ensure it will be implemented faster. The Board of Dentistry will have 280 days to promulgate the regulations. HB 1474 will result in expanded access to oral health care. We appreciate Delegate Orrock carrying this legislation for us and are pleased that the bill passed both chambers unanimously.

We had our annual Rally Day on Friday, January 27 and it was a huge success! Over 200 dental hygienists and students attended. We were able to advocate for HB 1474 and talk to our legislators about the importance of oral health care. One of the best parts of the day was when we were introduced on the Senate and House floors. Lieutenant Governor Northam then spoke to how oral health is a critical component of health care. It really demonstrated the impact we’ve made coming to Richmond year after year, educating the legislators on this issue.

Thank you to everyone who attended Rally Day and advocated for remote supervision this year. We will update you once the bill has been signed by Governor McAuliffe.