AGD Capitol Connections

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.

In 2025, all fifty state legislatures will be in session. Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and Texas only meet in odd-numbered years. The 2024 election resulted in only a small change in partisan control in the state capitols.

On November 22, 2024, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), current Ranking Member and expected Chairman next Congress of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act of 2024, which would strengthen cybersecurity requirements in the health care sector.

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Mehmet Oz to be Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Dr. Oz, a physician and former television personality, is expected to bring a focus on preventive health and holistic care to CMS if confirmed.

President-elect Donald Trump has officially nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS Secretary. Kennedy, an environmental advocate with well-known suspicions regarding vaccine safety and efficacy, has called for increased transparency and restructuring of federal health agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Join this free, two-half day virtual event to gain insights into the current legislative and regulatory landscape and how they are affecting your practice or could in the future. Hear from AGD leaders on issues they are tracking and learn how you can make a difference at the state and federal levels.

On November 29, 2023, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing entitled, Understanding How AI is Changing Health Care. Witnesses included representatives from hospitals, health care companies, and medical schools.

On November 28, 2023, Senator Dick Durbin sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) urging the Administrator to notify states about the recent Medicare changes to oral health care services that were included in the 2024 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System final rule.

Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) recently introduced S.5073, the Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act of 2022, in the U.S. Senate.

With President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan temporarily blocked by a federal appeals court and set to go before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Department of Education announced an extension of the current pause on student loan repayment, interest, and collections until June 30, 2023 or until the litigation is resolved.

On November 30, H.R.1550, the Promoting Resources to Expand Vaccination, Education and New Treatments for (PREVENT) HPV Cancers Act of 2021 was passed unanimously by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Following the release of the Senate's Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 spending bill proposals, AGD sent a letter to leaders of relevant House and Senate funding subcommittees to reaffirm support for funding critical oral health programs.

On December 8, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to unanimously pass AGD-backed legislation, the Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act of 2021 (H.R.4555). The legislation resulted from a multi-year AGD advocacy initiative and considerable collaboration with AGD's allies in Congress.

The AGD has worked diligently with constituents to help address issues during the COVID-19 emergency.

Following the release of the Senate's Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 spending bill working drafts, AGD sent a letter to leaders of relevant House and Senate funding subcommittees to reaffirm support for funding critical oral health programs.

AGD has prepared a quick-reference guide for members on applying for loan forgiveness under the U.S. Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The AGD has developed a new section of the AGD COVID-19 website to provide members with the most current credible vaccine information available.

AGD recently sent a letter to the "Four Corners" of Senate and House leadership, which urges Congress to advance a supplemental COVID-19 relief package to address the general dentistry community's key priorities.