Legislative Information

For NCDS Contact Dentists and ADA Action Team Leaders

 

Dentists:  Know the process…..know your legislators in North Carolina and congressional delegation in Washington.  Contact your legislators and introduce yourself today.  Get to know them before you need them!

 

Suppose a bill negatively affecting the practice of dentistry is introduced in the NC General Assembly?

Suppose a bill negatively affecting the practice of dentistry is introduced in the United States Congress?

 

What happens to these bills?  How do we respond as a profession?  How do we respond as individuals?

 

1. North Carolina’s Legislature (the General Assembly) and US Congress (federal) each have two separate groups of publicly elected officials – the House and Senate.  A bill is introduced by an elected representative on the floor of either the House or Senate and is then referred by the Speaker of the House or by the President of the Senate to a committee for action, study, hearings, etc.  The committee process traditionally moves slowly as it was designed to do by the Founding Fathers to give each issue an opportunity to be debated by all sides, including public citizen input.

 

The committee is where the action is!  YOUR voice can be heard by that committee either by writing to the Chairperson expressing your views or requesting to appear in person in the appropriate place, Raleigh or Washington, DC to acquaint legislators with your viewpoint.  It is also important to meet with your legislator(s) and Congressperson(s) while they are back home on weekends and during breaks in sessions.  Remember, the opposing side of the issue in which you are interested is doing all of the above!

 

2. How to reach State legislators and Congresspersons and find out who serves on Committees:

 

North Carolina                                                 US Congress, Washington, DC

Bill Status Info Desk:  919-733-7779                    Senate and House Bill Status:  202-225-1772

Principal Clerk, House:  919-733-7760                 Congressional Research:  202-707-5700

Principal Clerk, Senate:  919-733-7761                Secretary of Senate:  202-224-2115

(Clerks provide lists of committees—                  Clerk of House:  202-225-7000

when and where they meet; legislators’                 Senate Website:  www.senate.gov

names and their districts, counties they               House Website:  www.house.gov

represent, etc.)

 

Writing Letters:                                                  Writing Letters:

The Honorable (name of Legislator)                      The Honorable (name of Senator)

NC House of Representatives OR                        United States Senate

NC Senate                                                        Washington, DC 20510

Raleigh, NC 27611

 

Dear Representative (last name) OR                    Dear Senator (last name): OR

Dear Senator (last name)                                   

                                                                        The Honorable (name of Congressperson)

Website:  www.ncga.state.nc.us                         U. S. House of Representatives

                                                                        Washington, DC 20515

 

                                                                        Dear Representative (last name):

 

For specific information on official NC Dental Society policy on issues, please contact Priscilla Allen at the NCDS Central Office, 919-234-4027 or 800-662-8754, ext. 127; fax 919-677-1397 or email pallen@ncdental.org.  Visit the NCDS Website – www.ncdental.org.