H-0286.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1838

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Representatives Schual‑Berke, Mulliken and Ogden

Read first time 02/08/1999.  Referred to Committee on Health Care.

Creating the impaired dentist account.

    AN ACT Relating to the impaired dentist program; amending RCW 18.32.534; and adding a new section to chapter 18.32 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 18.32.534 and 1994 sp.s. c 9 s 220 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) To implement an impaired dentist program as authorized by RCW 18.130.175, the commission shall enter into a contract with a voluntary substance abuse monitoring program.  The impaired dentist program may include any or all of the following:

    (a) Contracting with providers of treatment programs;

    (b) Receiving and evaluating reports of suspected impairment from any source;

    (c) Intervening in cases of verified impairment;

    (d) Referring impaired dentists to treatment programs;

    (e) Monitoring the treatment and rehabilitation of impaired dentists including those ordered by the commission;

    (f) Providing education, prevention of impairment, posttreatment monitoring, and support of rehabilitated impaired dentists; and

    (g) Performing other related activities as determined by the commission.

    (2) A contract entered into under subsection (1) of this section shall be financed by a surcharge of ((up to fifteen)) twenty-five dollars on each license issuance or renewal to be collected by the department of health from every dentist licensed under chapter 18.32 RCW.  These moneys shall be placed in the ((health professions)) impaired dentist account to be used solely for the implementation of the impaired dentist program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 18.32 RCW to read as follows:

    The impaired dentist account is created in the custody of the state treasurer.  All receipts from RCW 18.32.534 from license surcharges on dentists shall be deposited into the account.  Expenditures from the account may only be used for the impaired dentist program under this chapter.  Only the secretary of health or the secretary's designee may authorize expenditures from the account.  No appropriation is required for expenditures from this account.

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