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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky bill establishes Interstate Dental and Dental Hygiene Licensure Compact to allow multi-state practice
Last action · March 11, 2026: to Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H)Sponsor: Steve Riley
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What This Bill Proposed
AN ACT relating to the Interstate Dental and Dental Hygiene Licensure Compact.
Licensed dentists and dental hygienists gain a streamlined pathway to practice in multiple participating states without undergoing duplicative state licensing processes, while military spouses can transfer credentials and practice without paying compact fees.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
dentists and dental hygienists
Dentists and dental hygienists gain the ability to apply for expedited multi-state licensure privileges and maintain professional documents in a central repository.
state dental boards
State dental boards must report adverse actions to a central clearinghouse, participate in joint investigations, and issue letters of eligibility for compact applicants.
active duty military members and their spouses
Active duty military members and their spouses receive fee waivers for compact privileges and can transfer military training records to the repository without charge.
Key Facts
- The compact activates and the commission adopts bylaws once five states enact the legislation.
- Active duty military members and their spouses pay no compact fees and may transfer military training records to the repository without a fee.
- Dentists and dental hygienists designate a home state based on primary residence where 25% of practice occurs, or on their previous year's federal tax return.
- Member state dental boards must report all adverse actions, disciplinary orders, and active investigations to a central clearinghouse administered by the American Association of Dental Boards.
Show all 8 facts
- Applicants for a compact license privilege must hold an unrestricted license in a member state, have no disqualifying criminal convictions or prior disciplinary actions, and pass approved clinical examinations.
- The commission is empowered to establish a budget, conduct annual financial audits, issue advisory opinions, and levy rules that carry the force of law in member states.
- A member state can be terminated from the compact by a majority vote of commissioners if it fails to cure a default after receiving written notice and remedial training.
- Withdrawing from the compact requires a member state to specifically repeal the enacting statute, giving licensees six months before their compact privileges expire.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main goal of the Interstate Dental and Dental Hygiene Licensure Compact?
Do military members and their spouses have to pay fees under this compact?
How is a licensee's home state determined under the compact?
What happens if a licensee's home state license is suspended or revoked?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Mar 11, 2026HouseCommitteeto Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations (H)
- Mar 4, 2026HouseIntroducedintroduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift toward multi-state compacts for dental professionals
The bill introduces a structured interstate framework for dentistry and dental hygiene similar to medical and nursing licensure compacts, emphasizing centralized data sharing and repository verification.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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