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American Dental Education Association


Volume 3, No. 64, January 8, 2025

Leadership for the 119th Congress
 
Last week, the 119th Congress convened with Republicans controlling both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) was once again voted House Speaker and U.S. Rep. Hakim Jefferies (D-NY) will continue as the Minority Leader. In the Senate, U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) becomes the Senate Majority Leader while U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) becomes the Minority Leader.
 
Key education, health care and appropriations committees have announced their leadership for the upcoming Congress as well:

Also of interest, U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, D.D.S. (R-TX) is the new Chair of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, which has jurisdiction over the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST will have a large role in the standards for artificial intelligence products.
 
The Advocate will report more on the agenda for each of these Committees later this month.

118th Congress Concludes
 
In December, Congress passed and President Biden signed the American Relief Act, 2025 (Public Law 115-158 [ [link removed] ] ), legislation that will continue to fund federal government programs, including the Oral Health Training programs and dental and craniofacial research through April 14. Also of interest, it includes short-term extensions for the National Health Service Corps, Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program and Community Health Centers through March 31.

New Jersey Assembly Passes Reforms to Primary Care Practitioner Loan Redemption Program
 
The New Jersey Assembly passed legislation [ [link removed] ] to make changes to the state’s Primary Care Practitioner Loan Redemption Program [ [link removed] ] . The program provides student loan reimbursement to medical providers who agree to work at an eligible site located within a New Jersey Medically Underserved Index identified by the Commissioner of New Jersey Department of Health or within a federally designated health professional shortage area.
 
Major changes under the bill, include:
 • Increasing the maximum loan redemption amount from $120,000 to $200,000;
 • Expanding the definition of “state designated underserved area” to include municipalities where more than 50% of households are at or below 185% of the federal poverty line and municipalities with a medically underserved area or population designation reflecting health status and economic indicators as determined by the Health Resources and Services Administration;
 • Permitting a program participant to identify an approved site for designation and approval under the program; and
 • Establishing criteria for a site to be automatically designated as an approved site under the program.

The bill has been sent to the Senate for consideration.

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.
 
©2025
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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