Vermont H 47: An act relating to employment rights for members of the Reserve and National Guard

Bill Text

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.47
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VT LEG #378322 v.1
H.47 1
Introduced by Representatives Stone of Burlington and Donahue of Northfield 2
Referred to Committee on 3
Date: 4
Subject: Professional regulation; dentists; dental hygienists; compact 5
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to adopt the 6
Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. 7
An act relating to Vermont’s adoption of the Dentist and Dental Hygienist 8
Compact 9
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 10
Sec. 1. 26 V.S.A. chapter 12, subchapter 7 is added to read: 11
Subchapter 7. Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact 12
§ 690. DENTIST AND DENTAL HYGIENIST COMPACT; ADOPTION 13
This subchapter is the Vermont adoption of the Dentist and Dental 14
Hygienist Compact. The form, format, and text of the Compact have been 15
conformed to the conventions of the Vermont Statutes Annotated. It is the 16
intent of the General Assembly that this subchapter be interpreted as 17
substantively the same as the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact that is 18
enacted by other compact party states. 19

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VT LEG #378322 v.1
§ 691. TITLE AND PURPOSE 1
This statute shall be known and cited as the Dentist and Dental Hygienist 2
Compact. The purposes of this Compact are to facilitate the interstate practice 3
of dentistry and dental hygiene and improve public access to dentistry and 4
dental hygiene services by providing dentists and dental hygienists licensed in 5
a participating state the ability to practice in participating states in which they 6
are not licensed. The Compact does this by establishing a pathway for a 7
dentists and dental hygienists licensed in a participating state to obtain a 8
compact privilege that authorizes them to practice in another participating state 9
in which they are not licensed. The Compact enables participating states to 10
protect the public health and safety with respect to the practice of such dentists 11
and dental hygienists, through the state’s authority to regulate the practice of 12
dentistry and dental hygiene in the state. The Compact: 13
(1) enables dentists and dental hygienists who qualify for a compact 14
privilege to practice in other participating states without satisfying burdensome 15
and duplicative requirements associated with securing a license to practice in 16
those states; 17
(2) promotes mobility and addresses workforce shortages through each 18
participating state’s acceptance of a compact privilege to practice in that state; 19

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VT LEG #378322 v.1
(3) increases public access to qualified, licensed dentists and dental 1
hygienists by creating a responsible, streamlined pathway for licensees to 2
practice in participating states; 3
(4) enhances the ability of participating states to protect the public’s 4
health and safety; 5
(5) does not interfere with licensure requirements established by a 6
participating state; 7
(6) facilitates the sharing of licensure and disciplinary information 8
among participating states; 9
(7) requires dentists and dental hygienists who practice in a participating 10
state pursuant to a compact privilege to practice within the scope of practice 11
authorized in that state; 12
(8) extends the authority of a participating state to regulate the practice 13
of dentistry and dental hygiene within its borders to dentists and dental 14
hygienists who practice in the state through a compact privilege; 15
(9) promotes the cooperation of participating state in regulating the 16
practice of dentistry and dental hygiene within those states; and 17
(10) facilitates the relocation of military members and their spouses who 18
are licensed to practice dentistry or dental hygiene. 19

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VT LEG #378322 v.1
§ 692. DEFINITIONS 1
As used in this Compact, unless the context requires otherwise, the 2
following definitions shall apply: 3
(1) “Active military member” means any person with full-time duty 4
status in the armed forces of the United States, including members of the 5
National Guard and Reserve. 6
(2) “Adverse action” means disciplinary action or encumbrance imposed 7
on a license or compact privilege by a state licensing authority. 8
(3) “Alternative program” means a nondisciplinary monitoring or 9
practice remediation process applicable to a dentist or dental hygienist 10
approved by a state licensing authority of a participating state in which the 11
dentist or dental hygienist is licensed. This includes, but is not limited to, 12
programs to which licensees with substance abuse or addiction issues are 13
referred in lieu of adverse action. 14
(4) “Clinical assessment” means examination or process, required for 15
licensure as a dentist or dental hygienist as applicable, that provides evidence 16
of clinical competence in dentistry or dental hygiene. 17
(5) “Commissioner” means the individual appointed by a par