The following unedited information is authored by WDA Director of Government Services Mara Brooks. For questions or comments about the following, contact Mara at 888-538-8932 or mbrooks@wda.org.

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Click here for the WDA “end of session” summary on all of our legislative priority listings…moving forward, our Board in June reviewed the potential issues we could be pursuing in the legislature/administration in our next session (begins January 2011 – last session ended in May 2012) and prioritized (at least for now) our future legislative activity into four general categories ---in the following priority:  (1) Positively impacting DEB appointments under a new administration; (2) Opening up and changing the dental practice act to incorporate (a) ADA definition of Dentistry; (b) implementing changes for EFDAs in WI; (c) potentially implementing a collaborative practice arrangement with RDHs and private sector dentists and/or DHS; (3) Pursuing changes on insurance issues like Assignment of Benefits and/or Non-Covered Services legislation; and (4) Implementing changes to the state’s dental Medicaid funding – passing a pilot project (very difficult to do this due to our bad state budget situation).

Granted, the priorities they established in June may need to be tweaked a bit depending upon the outcome of the November 2010 elections and the potential situation we have – right now both houses and the Governor’s office are controlled by Democrats – that is likely to change but which offices remain uncertain – the shift of power may determine whether we switch our priorities around or not.  For example, the insurance changes are a tough sell under Republican-controlled legislature, etc.  Obviously our House of Delegates has the final say on the legislative agenda and they meet in November – the week after the elections.  Mara