| Passed by the Senate March 16, 2003 YEAS 48 ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House April 9, 2003 YEAS 96 ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | I, Milton H. Doumit, Jr., Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5966 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Secretary | |
| Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
| State of Washington | 58th Legislature | 2003 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 03/05/03.
AN ACT Relating to increasing the supply of dentists to meet the critical shortage of dental providers in this state and underserved areas; amending RCW 18.32.215; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds and declares that
access to dental care is severely hampered by a critical and emergent
shortage of dental providers in Washington state. Dental disease is an
epidemic among poor children, the elderly, the disabled, and anyone who
does not have access to adequate dental care. Dental decay is
worsening among children under four years of age, with forty-one
percent of the state's Headstart children needing treatment for dental
decay. The lack of qualified dentists poses a serious and compelling
threat to the oral health of the people of this state.
Shortages are also due to licensing restrictions that have
discouraged qualified dentists from coming into this state. Increasing
the number of dentists from other states and from military service
would enable retiring dentists in this state to sell their practices to
other qualified practitioners.
Sec. 2 RCW 18.32.215 and 1994 sp.s. c 9 s 219 are each amended to
read as follows:
An applicant holding a valid license and currently engaged in
practice in another state may be granted a license without examination
required by this chapter, on the payment of any required fees, if the
((commission determines that the other state's licensing standards are
substantively equivalent to the standards in this state)) applicant is
a graduate of a dental college, school, or dental department of an
institution approved by the commission under RCW 18.32.040(1). The
commission may also require the applicant to: (1) File with the
commission documentation certifying the applicant is licensed to
practice in another state; and (2) provide information as the
commission deems necessary pertaining to the conditions and criteria of
the Uniform Disciplinary Act, chapter 18.130 RCW, and to demonstrate to
the commission a knowledge of Washington law pertaining to the practice
of dentistry.