Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), chairman of the Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, revealed draft legislative text and report language for FY 2020 spending within the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services. While many of the funding provisions related to oral health are identical to those in the Labor-HHS appropriations bill passed by the House earlier in the year, there are some differences in the Senate bill. House and Senate appropriators will now begin the process of conferencing their differences to come to a compromise. This process will likely go on past the September 30th government funding deadline, which is why Congress is expected to pass a short term appropriations bill (H.R. 4378) that will keep the government open through November.
 
Impact on General Dentistry: The AGD regularly works with relevant appropriations subcommittees to safeguard government programs that improve the nation's oral health and the practice of general dentistry. The Labor-HHS portion of the package contains significant funding to HRSA for general dentistry residency programs and HRSA's oral health literacy campaign, and AGD will be working to support those inclusions throughout the appropriations process.