[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 28, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H9673-H9675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  ACTION FOR DENTAL HEALTH ACT OF 2017

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in 
the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 2422) to amend the Public Health 
Service Act to improve essential oral health care for low-income and 
other underserved individuals by breaking down barriers to care, and 
for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the Senate amendment is as follows:
  Senate amendment:

       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the Action for Dental Health Act 
     of 2018.

     SEC. 2. ORAL HEALTH EDUCATION.

       (a) In General.--Section 399LL of the Public Health Service 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 280k) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``of Oral 
     Health Education Campaign'' after ``Establishment''; and
       (B) by striking ``focused on oral healthcare prevention and 
     education'' and inserting ``focused on oral health 
     education'';
       (2) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding paragraph 
     (1), by striking ``campaign'' and inserting ``campaign under 
     subsection (a)''; and
       (3) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
       ``(c) Action for Dental Health Program.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
     Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
     and the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 
     Administration, may award grants, contracts, or cooperative 
     agreements to eligible entities to collaborate with State or 
     local public health officials, tribal health officials, oral 
     health professional organizations, and others, as 
     appropriate, to develop and implement initiatives to improve 
     oral health, including activities to prevent dental disease 
     and reduce barriers to the provision of dental services, 
     including--
       ``(A) through community-wide dental disease prevention 
     programs; and
       ``(B) by increasing public awareness and education related 
     to oral health and dental disease prevention.
       ``(2) Eligible entities.--To be eligible to receive a 
     grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this 
     subsection, an entity shall be--
       ``(A) a dental association;
       ``(B) a State or tribal health department or State or 
     tribal oral health program;
       ``(C) an accredited dental education, dental hygiene, or 
     postdoctoral dental education program; or
       ``(D) a non-profit community-based organization that 
     partners with public and private non-profit entities, such as 
     an academic institution, to facilitate the provision of 
     dental services to underserved populations.'';
       (b) Technical Amendment.--Section 399LL-1(d) of the Public 
     Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280k-1(d)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``shall'' and inserting ``shall, as 
     practicable and appropriate,'' before ``utilize''; and
       (2) by striking ``public education campaign'' and inserting 
     ``oral health education campaign and action for dental health 
     program''.
       (c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services shall submit to the Committee on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives, a report on the outcomes and effectiveness 
     of programs and activities conducted under sections 399LL and 
     399LL-1 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280k and 
     280k-1).

     SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS.

       Section 340G of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     256g) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)(5)--
       (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end; 
     and
       (B) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(D) the establishment or development of models for the 
     provision of dental services to children and adults, such as 
     dental homes, including for the elderly, blind, individuals 
     with disabilities, and individuals living in long-term care 
     facilities; and
       ``(E) the establishment of initiatives to reduce the use of 
     emergency departments by individuals who seek dental services 
     more appropriately delivered in a dental primary care 
     setting;''; and
       (2) in subsection (f), by striking ``$25,000,000 for the 5-
     fiscal year period beginning with fiscal year 2008'' and 
     inserting ``$13,903,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 
     2023''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Burgess) and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members

[[Page H9674]]

may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we can all agree that good oral health is important for 
all Americans: our children, our seniors, and our families in north 
Texas and other neighborhoods across the Nation. It affects our ability 
to speak, eat, and show emotions. Yet, good oral health remains an 
unmet medical need for many Americans, particularly in rural or 
underserved communities.
  Increasing access to vital healthcare services like dental health is 
a priority for many on the Energy and Commerce Committee. So I am 
pleased that today the House is again considering H.R. 2422, the Action 
for Dental Health Act of 2018, following recent action in the Senate.
  This bill, introduced by Representatives Robin Kelly and Mike 
Simpson, takes several steps to improve essential oral healthcare for 
disadvantaged patients by breaking down barriers to care and giving 
them the dental health treatment and disease prevention services they 
need through existing Federal dollars.
  Also, most of us are aware that poor oral health can raise the risk 
of tooth decay, gum disease, and oral cancer. These oral diseases can 
lead to pain and disability for millions of Americans.
  It also costs taxpayers and employers billions of dollars each year. 
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on 
average, the Nation spends more than $124 billion per year on costs 
related to dental care. More than $6 billion of productivity is lost 
each year because employees miss work because of dental problems.
  Poor oral health can even be linked to other chronic health 
conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Many of these conditions 
can be avoided by simple preventive measures, such as regular cleaning 
and water fluoridation.
  Dentists and dental specialists from Texas discussed similar concerns 
with me during meetings in the district and here in Washington. H.R. 
2422 aims to address these issues and has the support of several 
national dental groups like the American Dental Association and the 
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, to name two.
  Specifically, the bill seeks to reauthorize activities for oral 
health promotion and disease prevention at the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention. In many rural and underserved regions in Texas, 
these activities would expand school-based dental sealant programs and 
further support community water fluoridation.

                              {time}  1645

  The bill also establishes an Action for Dental Health Program within 
the Department of Health and Human Services to improve oral health 
education and reduce barriers to oral healthcare by awarding grants, 
contracts, or cooperative agreements to dental associations, health 
departments, accredited dental education programs, or nonprofit, 
community-based organizations.
  These grants and agreements could be used by these eligible entities 
to collaborate with State or local public health officials, Tribal 
health officials, oral health professionals, or other appropriate 
groups to support initiatives under the Action for Dental Health 
Program.
  Lastly, this legislation reauthorizes and expands a grant program 
through the Health Resources and Services Administration for innovative 
dental programs at over $13 million annually for fiscal years 2019 
through 2023. These grants will help States increase their oral health 
workforce and offer needed dental care in dental health professional 
shortage areas.
  Some of the eligible activities for States include establishing 
dental homes, which refers to comprehensive oral healthcare, for 
children and adults and creating initiatives to reduce the use of 
emergency departments for dental services.
  I believe targeting resources to facilitate the provision of dental 
services to those in need in addition to improving oral health 
education will help prevent dental diseases before they start. This 
will ultimately reduce medical complications, emergency room visits, 
and poor dental health outcomes in underserved communities, not only in 
Texas but across the United States.
  Benjamin Franklin once famously stated that ``an ounce of prevention 
is worth a pound of cure.'' We can heed those famous words by passing 
H.R. 2422 today and sending it to the President's desk. I urge all 
Members to support this important and bipartisan legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand proudly in support of H.R. 2422, my bipartisan 
Action for Dental Health Act. Since 2013, I have been working with my 
colleagues to emphasize the importance of oral health, especially for 
America's children and seniors.
  Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease, five times 
more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. 
Furthermore, a child's oral health status is directly tied to their 
academic achievement and school attendance. Likewise, poor oral health, 
such as toothlessness or tooth decay, are potentially life-threatening 
conditions for our grandmothers and grandfathers, and Medicare does not 
cover dental health services.
  Unfortunately, so many other Americans in between childhood and 
elderly adulthood lack access to oral healthcare because of cost or a 
lack of dentists in their area.
  The Action for Dental Health bill starts to change this by making 
oral healthcare more accessible for those in need without new Federal 
spending. Once enacted, the Action for Dental Health Act will empower 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to deliver more and 
better dental healthcare to underserved populations, especially urban 
and rural communities, and increase education about the importance of 
oral health. This legislation will strengthen the impact of existing 
resources and services.
  The goal of the Action for Dental Health Act is to reduce the number 
of oral health emergency room visits, which are often costly, not 
comprehensive, and only occur at late stages after causing other 
negative health effects.
  So, in the short and long term, this bill will save money for 
patients and taxpayers.
  Mr. Speaker, the Action for Dental Health Act is cosponsored by 83 
Members of Congress and supported by the American Dental Association, 
the National Dental Association, the American Dental Education 
Association, and 39 other advocacy groups.
  The bipartisan companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. 
Senate by Senator Cory Booker as S. 3016. When originally debated in 
February, it passed this House with 90 percent of Members voting 
``yes.''
  I am especially proud to have worked with Congressman Mike Simpson of 
Idaho, one of a handful of dentists in Congress. I offer my deepest 
thanks to him and his team. I thank him for his steadfast leadership, 
expertise, and partnership.
  In this time of a deeply divided Congress, I am glad that Congressman 
Simpson and I could put forward a bipartisan bill that has won the 
support of hundreds of our colleagues and field leaders. I look forward 
to working with him on more bipartisan solutions to increase access to 
healthcare, especially oral healthcare.
  The Action for Dental Health Act is a prime example of how Congress 
should work. Together, we developed the idea, consulted with experts in 
the field, worked across the aisle on the legislative text, introduced 
it, advanced it through the committee process, organized House and 
Senate votes, amended the bill, and we now look to advance this 
critical bill to President Trump's desk to make it law.
  This is how Congress should work. We need to get back to this 
cooperative process. Let us not delay making way for quality dental 
health services for Americans in need.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote on the measure, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by

[[Page H9675]]

the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) that the House suspend the rules 
and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 2422.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the Senate amendment was concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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