A NEW YEAR, A NEW LEGISLATURE

By Joe Anne Hart, Chief Legislative Officer

As we start the new year, we prepare for the big task ahead of us: educating the newly-elected Legislature about issues important to the Florida Dental Association (FDA).

The Florida Legislature will start the 2023 Regular Session on Tuesday, March 7. They will be busy for the next 60 days establishing new laws and budget priorities until they adjourn on Friday, May 5, 2023. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) and House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) will serve as the top Republican leaders of each chamber until the 2024 elections.

The Democratic leaders are Sen. Lauren Book (D-Plantation) and Rep. Fentrice Driskell (R-Tampa), who will be the top leaders for their party until 2024. With the Republicans enjoying a supermajority in both houses, it will be more important than ever for the Democrats to forge relationships in order to have their priorities considered during session.

With a new Legislature, there is a prime opportunity for advocacy groups and organizations to bring their issues and initiatives to the attention of first-year legislators for their support. The FDA has worked diligently to make sure every legislator has a legislative contact dentist. Connecting legislators with local dentists helps create a relationship that is crucial to the FDA’s efforts in getting support for issues supported by organized dentistry. Without that relationship, legislators are often making decisions without all of the information or knowledge of the impact that decision could have.

The FDA’s legislative agenda will include securing funding for the Dental Student Loan Repayment Program and the Donated Dental Services Program and addressing dental insurance reforms such as a medical loss ratio for dental insurance plans. This legislative agenda will require all hands on deck to get it through the process. You can help put this agenda through by attending Dentists’ Day on the Hill, scheduled for Tuesday, March 28. A legislative briefing will take place at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 27. The host hotel is Hotel Duval, where attendees will receive a complimentary buffet dinner Monday night and lunch Tuesday during Capitol visits. We hope to see you there! Register today at floridadental.org/ddoh