WSDA encourages members to submit comments on the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Interstate Compact by Friday, Sept. 30. The Compact would allow dentists and dental hygienists licensed in one Compact member state to more easily obtain licensure in another Compact member state, creating reciprocity among participant states and reducing the barriers to licensure portability and employment.
Resolution HD-15-2022 was presented at the 2022 WSDA House of Delegates, proposing WSDA support legislation that establishes Washington as a member state of the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Interstate Compact (Compact). A draft of the Compact was recently completed and is now being circulated for public comment. The Council of State Governments (CSG), the nation’s largest nonpartisan organization serving all three branches of state elected and appointed officials, has partnered with the Department of Defense, the American Dental Association, and the American Dental Hygienists’ Association to support the mobility of licensed dentists and dental hygienists through the development of this new interstate compact.
The Compact would allow dentists and dental hygienists licensed in one Compact member state to more easily obtain licensure in another Compact member state, creating reciprocity among participant states and reducing the barriers to licensure portability and employment. To join the Compact, the draft proposes that states must pass model legislation through their state’s legislature and requires ten states to pass legislation for the Compact to be activated. An individual practicing dentistry or dental hygiene in a participating state would be subject to that state’s regulatory authority and only able to provide services within the scope of practice authorized by that state.
Learn more about the Compact here.
Learn More
WSDA’s Position on Licensure Compacts
At the 2022 WSDA House of Delegates, resolution HD-15-2022 was introduced and passed, authorizing WSDA to support legislation that establishes Washington as a member state of the Compact.
Submit Comments on the Draft Compact
CSG is accepting feedback on the Compact through this survey, which closes Sept. 30, 2022. While we understand this is a quick turnaround given the recent approval by the House of Delegates, WSDA encourages interested members to submit comments. WSDA will also be submitting comments.
Following the public comment period, CSG will review feedback and finalize model legislation, which is anticipated to be ready by January of 2023, aligning with many states’ legislative sessions.
Submit comments on the Compact here.
Submit Comments
Questions? Please email dentalcompact@csg.org.