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American Dental Education Association


Volume 3, No. 35, March 26, 2024

Biden Signs Executive Order on Women’s Health Research
 
In his recent State of the Union address, President Joseph Biden unveiled a comprehensive plan aimed at revolutionizing women's health research and bolstering women's well-being across the United States. The centerpiece of this plan involves a significant investment of $12 billion in new funding dedicated to women's health research. This funding will establish a Fund for Women's Health Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and establish a network of research centers exclusively focused on women's health. Moreover, the President and First Lady, Jill Biden, have launched the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research, signaling a commitment to restructuring how research on women's health is conducted and funded in the country.
 
On March 18, the President further solidified his commitment to women's health by signing an Executive Order [ [link removed] ] (EO) that outlines a series of comprehensive actions to expand and improve research on women's health. Key directives of the EO include:
 • Integrating women's health across the federal research portfolio;
 • Prioritizing investments in women's health research;
 • Galvanizing new research on women’s midlife health;
 • Increasing the representation of women in clinical trials; and
 • Assessing unmet needs to support women's health research.

Notably, the EO emphasizes the importance of focusing on women's health after menopause and addressing diseases that disproportionately affect women during midlife, such as rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease. By prioritizing women's health research and enhancing the representation of women in clinical trials, the Biden administration aims to foster greater understanding and better address the unique health needs of women across their lifespan.
 
The EO mandates the establishment of the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research to be completed within 90 days of the EO's signing. Additionally, agencies are tasked with providing written reports and guidance within 180 days to ensure the effective implementation of the EO.

House Education Committee Passes Two Anti-DEI Bills
 
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Workforce voted two anti-DEI bills out of committee.
 
H.R. 3724, Accreditation for College Excellence Act of 2023 [ [link removed] ] , would prohibit recognized accrediting agencies and associations from requiring, encouraging or coercing institutions of higher education to meet any political litmus test or violate any right protected by the Constitution as a condition of accreditation. This bill passed by 24 Yeas to 14 Nays.
 
The second bill, H.R. 7683, Respecting the First Amendment on Campus Act [ [link removed] ] , requires institutions of higher education to adopt and adhere to principles of free speech. These principles are enumerated in the legislation and include the requirement that colleges have and annually disclose their free speech policy to current and prospective students and faculty. This bill passed by a 24 Yeas to 14 Nays vote.

Congress Finishes FY 2024 Appropriations Bills
 
Congress met its Friday deadline to pass the remaining six appropriations bills; President Biden signed the legislation, which averts the possibility of a partial government shutdown. One of the bills included in the package was the bill funding the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education.
 
The programs of interest to oral health education fared as well as could be expected and better than some non-health related programs. The Oral Health Training Program is funded in fiscal year (FY) 2024 at the FY 2023 level of $42.7 million, including a set aside of $13 million each for residencies in General Dentistry and Pediatric Dentistry, as well as approximately $2 million for the Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program. The Ryan White Part F Dental Reimbursement Program was also funded at last year’s level of $13.6 million, after ADEA wrote to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, making the case for the program after the House provided no funding in FY 2024. The funding was restored in the final bill.
 
Other programs of concern include the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), which received $520.2 million—a minor increase of $25,000 over FY 2023. Flat funding in any program is not something to rejoice about; however, in NIDCR’s case, it is important to note that the National Institutes of Health’s overall FY 2024 budget was cut by $378 million from FY 2023—its first reduction in many years.
 
U.S. Senate Recognizes the 75th Anniversary of the NIDCR
 
On March 20, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution [ [link removed] ] recognizing the 75th anniversary of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). In 1948, President Harry S. Truman and members of Congress were concerned about the number of recruits who were unsuitable for military service during World War II because of poor oral health, so they created a national institute to study and research how to improve oral health. The resolution cites NIDCR's many accomplishments and concludes by stating that it “declares that NIDCR is a vital, venerable, and essential component of the National Institutes of Health and the overall public health and science strategy of the United States.”
 
A similar resolution has been introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, D.D.S. (R-TX).

Alabama Gov. Signs Bill Banning DEI Initiatives at Public Institutions of Higher Education
 
On March 20, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed legislation [ [link removed] ] that prohibits nearly all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at public institutions of higher education, state agencies and K-12 public schools. Specific highlights of the bill include the following:
 • It would prohibit institutions from sponsoring any DEI program or maintaining any office, physical location or department that promotes DEI.
 • It would prohibit mandatory diversity training.
 • It would prohibit the use of diversity statements.
 • It would prohibit expending funds or applying for or accepting a grant, federal funding, or private funding for the purpose of compelling assent to any specified divisive concept or any other purpose prohibited by the bill.
 • It would require each public institution of higher education to “ensure that every multiple occupancy restroom be designated for use by individuals based on their biological sex.”
 • It would allow institutions to discipline or terminate the employment of any employee or contractor who knowingly violates the new law.
 • It would permit students, staff or faculty organizations to host DEI programs or discussions that may involve specified divisive concepts, provided that no state funds are used to sponsor the programs.

Critics of the bill [ [link removed] ] include the ACLU of Alabama who said in a statement, “This bill is intended to have a chilling effect on discourse regarding race, class, sexuality, and national origin, and seeks to characterize these discussions and accurate teachings, assignments, and trainings that also supplement them as ‘divisive.’”
 
Similar laws [ [link removed] ] have been passed in Florida, Utah and Texas.
 
Georgia Sends Bill to Gov. to Define and Regulate Teledentistry
 
The Georgia General Assembly will send a bill [ [link removed] ] to Gov. Brian Kemp (R) that, if signed, will define and regulate the practice of teledentistry in the state. Under the bill, teledentistry is defined as “the delivery of dental care through the use of synchronous, real-time communication in conjunction with and supported by store and forward technologies under the general supervision of the authorizing dentist when dental care is provided to a patient physically located at a site in this state that is different from the site where the authorizing dentist is physically located.”
 
The bill also:
 • Clarifies that teledentistry does not include incidents when a licensed dentist practicing in a private dental office receives a digital photograph or audio or video communication from the cellphone of a patient for the purpose of evaluating a dental emergency or providing palliative care until the patient can be treated by a dentist;
 • Requires the establishment of a bona-fide, dentist-patient relationship;
 • Requires a licensed dentist who intends to provide care through teledentistry to notify the Georgia Board of Dentistry of their intent and provide written documentation demonstrating the dentist has established a referral relationship with another dentist who practices and who is in a physical and operational dental office located in the state within 50 miles of the setting where the teledentistry interaction occurs, or the closest dental office if no office is within 50 miles;
 • Limits prescribing through teledentistry to substances that are not controlled substances;
 • Clarifies the specific functions a dental hygienist may be authorized to perform;
 • Authorizes the performance of digital scans by a dentist or dental hygienist; and
 • Authorizes the use of store and forward technologies to transmit patient records, images, digital scans, X-rays and other relevant health information between the authorizing dentist and a dental hygienist for the purposes of evaluating a patient's oral health condition and authorizing the performance of dental care.

To learn more about teledentistry laws across the country, please refer to ADEA’s Compilation of State Laws and Regulations Addressing Teledentistry or Telehealth Conducted by Oral Health Practitioners [ [link removed] ] .

ADEA Advocacy in Action
This appears weekly in the ADEA Advocate to summarize and provide direct links to recent advocacy actions taken by ADEA. Please let us know what you think and how we might improve its usefulness.
 
Issues and Resources
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on teledentistry
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
 • ADEA policy brief [ [link removed] ] regarding overprescription of antibiotics
 • For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click here [ [link removed] ] .

Key Federal Issues [ [link removed] ]

ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map [ [link removed] ]

Key State Issues [ [link removed] ]

The ADEA Advocate [ [link removed] ] is published weekly. Its purpose is to keep ADEA members abreast of federal and state issues and events of interest to the academic dentistry and the dental and research communities.
 
©2023
American Dental Education Association
655 K Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: 202-289-7201
Website: www.adea.org [ [link removed] ]

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA
ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer
 
Bridgette DeHart, J.D.
ADEA Director of Federal Relations and Advocacy
 
Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.
ADEA Senior Director of State Relations and Advocacy
 
Contact Us:
[email protected] [ mailto:[email protected] ]

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