Advocacy is Necessary to Achieve Legislative Success
Understanding the purpose of and need for a strong professional advocacy program is the first step in achieving legislative success. It is important to know what role the WI-DHA plays in these efforts and, more importantly, what role you play in this process.
The Legislative Process: This is the process by which laws are made. This is important for the Dental Hygiene profession as it is a legislated profession. This means the dental hygiene scope of practice is determined and defined by legislators and Dental Examining Board. Members of WI-DHA, are advocates for dental hygienists and for the patients they serve.
Advocacy is a major function of the WI-DHA. By being politically active, WI-DHA members demonstrate to their legislators they are committed to advancing profession to better serve patients.
There are three factors needed to move legislative action in Wisconsin:
- Merit (legitimacy of your issue). Explain clearly to legislators what problem exists, who is impacted by it, why it must be fixed and how to fix it.
- Funding. The need for financial support is important to fund the cost of running a political campaign. WI-DHA has a fund specific to dental hygiene related advocacy called WI-HYPAC.
- Membership. There is power in numbers and having many voices speak for a common concern. can be the most effective way to achieve success in the legislature. A constituent or voter from a specific Wisconsin community can help educate and influence legislators for that area more effectively than anyone else. WI-DHA can achieve the level of success it needs with an active, well organized membership.
To find the Representative and Senator who represents your area go to: https://legis.wisconsin.gov/
Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact Update
On January 31, 2024, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed The Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact (SB 692), one of five bills signed in Wisconsin to improve access to dental healthcare. Wisconsin becomes the fourth state to enact the DDH Compact. Twelve additional states have introduced the compact during the 2024 legislative sessions.
“The health and well-being of our state and our economy depend on the health and well-being of our communities, including ensuring that all Wisconsinites have access to quality, affordable healthcare. I am proud to sign these five bipartisan bills that will move us forward in our work to address shortages and bolster our dental healthcare workforce while also closing gaps in access across the state,” Gov. Evers said in a statement.
States join the compact by passing it through their state legislature and signing it into law by the state governor. Iowa became the first state to sign the compact into law on April 27, 2023. Since then, three other states, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin, have enacted the compact. View all legislative activity by accessing the compact map.
The compact is operationalized following the enactment by seven states. At that point, a commission consisting of one representative from each state will be formed and will create the rules and the application process.
