Colorado 2022 Regular Session Status: Enacted 1 D cosponsors

SB 22-219 — Regulate Dental Therapists

Last action — Governor Signed

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced April 21, 2022. Enacted.

Prognosis

Advancing 58% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 4 sponsors

    4 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

On and after May 1, 2023, the act prohibits a person from practicing dental therapy in the state unless licensed by the Colorado dental board (board). A licensed dental therapist is authorized to deliver routine and preventive dental care. A person who desires to qualify for practice as a dental therapist must file with the board a written application for a license, proof of graduation from a school of dental therapy or a dental therapy program that meets the requirements of the act, and proof of completion of a clinical examination for dental therapy that: Is designed to test the applicant's clinical dental therapy skills and knowledge; Includes dental therapy restorative and dental hygiene clinical skill evaluation; and Is administered by a regional testing agency composed of at least 4 states or an examination of another state. A dental therapist is allowed to practice only under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist until the dental therapist practices for 1,000 hours. After reaching 1,000 hours, the dental therapist may practice under the indirect supervision of a licensed dentist pursuant to a written articulated plan. The articulated plan must include: Methods of dentist supervision, consultation, and approval; Protocols for informed consent, record keeping, quality assurance, and dispensing or administering medications; Policies for handling referrals when a patient needs services the dental therapist is not authorized or qualified to provide; Protocols for assessment of dental disease and the formulation of an individualized treatment plan authorized by the supervising dentist; Policies for handling medical emergencies; and Policies for supervising dental assistants and working with dental hygienists and other dental practitioners and staff. A licensed dental therapist must maintain professional liability insurance in an amount not less than $500,000 per incident and $1.5 million annual aggregate per year; except that this requirement is not applicable to a dental therapist who is a public employee under the "Colorado Governmental Immunity Act". A state institution of higher education offering an accredited dental therapy training program may grant advanced standing toward completion of an accredited dental therapy program if a student meets the conditions specified in the act. Effective July 1, 2031, the act modifies the composition of the board by replacing 2 members, one dental hygienist and one member representing the public at large, with 2 dental therapists. To implement the act, for the 2022-23 state fiscal year, $14,786 is appropriated to the department of regulatory agencies from the division of professions and occupations cash fund for reappropriation to the department of law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

22 added · 18 removed

22 line(s) added, 18 removed.

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Latest
Second Regular Session Seventy-third General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO ENGROSSED This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted on Second Reading in the House of Introduction LLS NO.
Second Regular Session Seventy-third General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO REENGROSSED This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted in the House of Introduction LLS NO.
22-0229.01 Yelana Love x2295 SENATE BILL 22-219 SENATE SPONSORSHIP Moreno and Smallwood, HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Duran and McLachlan, Senate Committees House Committees Health & Human Services Finance Appropriations A BILL FOR AN ACT C ONCERNING THE REGULATION OF DENTAL THERAPISTS , AND , IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ,MAKING AN APPROPRIATION .
22-0229.01 Yelana Love x2295 SENATE BILL 22-219 SENATE SPONSORSHIP Moreno and Smallwood, Fields, Jaquez Lewis, Lee HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Duran and McLachlan, Senate Committees House Committees Health & Human Services Finance Appropriations A BILL FOR AN ACT C ONCERNING THE REGULATION OF DENTAL THERAPISTS , AND , IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ,MAKING AN APPROPRIATION .
This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does notreflectanyamendmentsthatmaybesubsequentlyadopted.Ifthisbill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.) On and after January 1, 2023, the bill prohibits a person from practicing dental therapy in the state unless licensed by the Colorado dental board (board).
This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does d notreflectanyamendmentsthatmaybesubsequentlyadopted.Ifthisbill d passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that e 2 applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at E a 0 A U , http://leg.colorado.gov.) N i 2 S a a R M On and after January 1, 2023, the bill prohibits a person from r practicing dental therapy in the state unless licensed by the Colorado 3 dental board (board).
g A person who desires to qualify for practice as a dental therapist d must file with the board a written application for a license, proof of e 2 T R 2 A 2 9 Shading denotes HOUSE amendment.
A person who desires to qualify for practice as a dental therapist i a 2 must file with the board a written application for a license, proof of E R 0 T d , N 2 2 Shading denotes HOUSE amendment.
E d i Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing statute.
S e r Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing statun Ap Dashes through the words indicate deletions from existing statute.
Dashes through the words indicate deletions from existing statute.
e A graduation from a school of dental therapy or a dental therapy program that meets the requirements of the bill, and proof of completion of the examinations required for licensure as a dental hygienist.
e A A graduation from a school of dental therapy or a dental therapy program that meets the requirements of the bill, and proof of completion of the examinations required for licensure as a dental hygienist.
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Amendments

1 amendment

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Action History

  1. Governor Signed

  2. Signed by the President of the Senate

  3. Signed by the Speaker of the House

  4. Sent to the Governor

  5. House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  6. Senate Considered House Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass

  7. House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Floor

  8. House Committee on Finance Refer Unamended to Appropriations

  9. House Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole

  10. Introduced In House - Assigned to Finance

  11. Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  12. Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended - Consent Calendar to Senate Committee of the Whole

  13. Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor

  14. Senate Committee on Finance Refer Amended to Appropriations

  15. Senate Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Amended to Finance

  16. Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Health & Human Services

Sponsors

  • Barbara McLachlan · Primary
  • Monica Duran · Primary
  • Jim Smallwood · Primary
  • Dominick Moreno · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

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4 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 98 not signed on

Sponsors (4)

  • Barbara McLachlan
  • Monica Duran Democrat
  • Jim Smallwood
  • Dominick Moreno

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (98)

98 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 98 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

healthcare labor education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 22-219 do?
On and after May 1, 2023, the act prohibits a person from practicing dental therapy in the state unless licensed by the Colorado dental board (board). A licensed dental therapist is authorized to deliver routine and preventive dental care. A person who desires to qualify for practice as a dental therapist must file with the board a written application for a license, proof of graduation from a school of dental therapy or a dental therapy program that meets the requirements of the act, and proof of completion of a clinical examination for dental therapy that: Is designed to test the applicant's clinical dental therapy skills and knowledge; Includes dental therapy restorative and dental hygiene clinical skill evaluation; and Is administered by a regional testing agency composed of at least 4 states or an examination of another state. A dental therapist is allowed to practice only under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist until the dental therapist practices for 1,000 hours. After reaching 1,000 hours, the dental therapist may practice under the indirect supervision of a licensed dentist pursuant to a written articulated plan. The articulated plan must include: Methods of dentist supervision, consultation, and approval; Protocols for informed consent, record keeping, quality assurance, and dispensing or administering medications; Policies for handling referrals when a patient needs services the dental therapist is not authorized or qualified to provide; Protocols for assessment of dental disease and the formulation of an individualized treatment plan authorized by the supervising dentist; Policies for handling medical emergencies; and Policies for supervising dental assistants and working with dental hygienists and other dental practitioners and staff. A licensed dental therapist must maintain professional liability insurance in an amount not less than $500,000 per incident and $1.5 million annual aggregate per year; except that this requirement is not applicable to a dental therapist who is a public employee under the "Colorado Governmental Immunity Act". A state institution of higher education offering an accredited dental therapy training program may grant advanced standing toward completion of an accredited dental therapy program if a student meets the conditions specified in the act. Effective July 1, 2031, the act modifies the composition of the board by replacing 2 members, one dental hygienist and one member representing the public at large, with 2 dental therapists. To implement the act, for the 2022-23 state fiscal year, $14,786 is appropriated to the department of regulatory agencies from the division of professions and occupations cash fund for reappropriation to the department of law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Who sponsors SB 22-219?
SB 22-219 is sponsored by Barbara McLachlan, Monica Duran (Democrat), Jim Smallwood, and Dominick Moreno.
What is the current status of SB 22-219?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced April 21, 2022. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 22-219?
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