Congress Passes Stopgap Measure to Extend Government Funding
On December 20, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government at Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 levels through March 14, 2025. The CR was then passed by the Senate on December 21, 2024, and signed into law by President Biden later that day, avoiding a government shutdown.
Earlier that week, House Republican leaders were forced to abandon plans to pass a broader CR that contained a comprehensive healthcare package including the reauthorization of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act. This legislation explicitly includes the Academy of General Dentistry as an approved provider of required training for prescribers of controlled substances. For background, the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2023 and included a new requirement that prescribers of certain controlled substances complete a one-time, eight-hour training before registering or renewing their registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The MATE Act did not include the AGD as an approved provider of this mandated continuing education and the AGD has advocated tirelessly to remedy this situation. While this reauthorization was not included in the narrower package, the 119th Congress is expected to revisit many of the health care issues, including the reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act, that were not included in the final CR.
Impact on General Dentistry: While ultimately not included in the final, year-end CR, the inclusion of the SUPPORT Act (and AGD provision) in the first bipartisan CR proposal, is a strong development resulting from vigorous Congressional outreach over almost two years. We will continue to advocate for passage of the SUPPORT Act in the 119th Congress.
Earlier that week, House Republican leaders were forced to abandon plans to pass a broader CR that contained a comprehensive healthcare package including the reauthorization of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act. This legislation explicitly includes the Academy of General Dentistry as an approved provider of required training for prescribers of controlled substances. For background, the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2023 and included a new requirement that prescribers of certain controlled substances complete a one-time, eight-hour training before registering or renewing their registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The MATE Act did not include the AGD as an approved provider of this mandated continuing education and the AGD has advocated tirelessly to remedy this situation. While this reauthorization was not included in the narrower package, the 119th Congress is expected to revisit many of the health care issues, including the reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act, that were not included in the final CR.
Impact on General Dentistry: While ultimately not included in the final, year-end CR, the inclusion of the SUPPORT Act (and AGD provision) in the first bipartisan CR proposal, is a strong development resulting from vigorous Congressional outreach over almost two years. We will continue to advocate for passage of the SUPPORT Act in the 119th Congress.