On Monday, July 20, 2026, H.R. 2001, the Action for Dental Health Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, as amended, by a voice vote. The bill was introduced in March 2025 by Representatives Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) and Mike Simpson (R-ID-02) and would reauthorize the allocation of $15 million in annual funding to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for oral health workforce grants through fiscal year 2030. The bill has been received in the Senate and referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). 

The full text of the bill may be found here. 

Impact on General Dentistry: This bill would extend the authorization of grants to reduce the dental workforce shortage in the estimated 6,830 Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) for dental health providers, as identified in May 2024 by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The funding would be utilized to support dental recruitment and retention; continued dental education; dental faculty recruitment; loan forgiveness and repayment; and grants / low or no-interest loans for newly established or expanded dental practices in designated dental HPSAs. AGD will continue to be supportive of this bill.