Committee recommends positions on multiple health and dental bills, sends recommendations to full board

The Legislation and Regulatory Committee of the Dental Board of California on July 18, 2025 voted 3-0 to recommend that the full board adopt specified positions on multiple pending state bills affecting dental and health care practice.

Julie Elginer, presenting the motion, read the committee’s recommended positions, which the committee asked the full board to adopt. The committee recommended the following positions (bill, author, subject, committee recommendation):

- AB 224 (Wantagh), health care coverage — maintain a watch position. - AB 341 (Arambula), oral health for people with disabilities technical assistance center program — maintain a watch position. - AB 350 (Bonta), health care coverage; fluoride treatments — maintain a support position. - AB 371 (Haney), dental coverage — maintain a watch position. - AB 489 (Bonta), health care professions; deceptive terms or letters; artificial intelligence — maintain a watch position. - AB 742 (Howery), Department of Consumer Affairs; licensing applicants who are descendants of slaves — maintain a watch position. - AB 873 (Alanis), dentistry; dental-assistant infection-control course — maintain an opposition position. - AB 966 (Carrillo), Dental Practice Act; foreign dental schools — maintain a watch position. - AB 980 (Arambula), health-care medically necessary treatment — maintain a watch position. - AB 1307, licensed dentist from Mexico pilot program — maintain a watch position. - AB 1418, Department of Health Care Access and Information-related provisions — maintain a watch position. - SB 62 (Menjivar), health care coverage; essential health benefits — maintain a watch position. - SB 351 (Cabaldon), health facilities — maintain a watch position. - SB 386 (Limon), dental providers; fee-based payments — maintain a watch position. - SB 470, Bagley-Keene Open Meetings Act; teleconferencing — maintain a support position. - SB 744, accrediting agencies — maintain a support position. - SB 861, omnibus business professions and consumer affairs bill — maintain a support position.

Committee members discussed process and materials. Julie Elginer asked that staff add bill sponsor information to the committee document for transparency and explained where sponsors can be found in bill analyses. She also raised a procedural concern about AB 873: she said the committee’s official position is “oppose” and noted that the committee’s opposition letter did not appear in a committee consultant analysis. Executive Officer Anthony Lum said the board’s position letters are present in the submission portal and confirmed the letters had been submitted.

A representative from the California Dental Association, Tuka Zokai, urged the board to change its position on AB 873 (the infection-control course bill) to a watch or “support if amended,” saying the bill’s language is likely to change and that a narrower completion window for an infection-control course (the association discussed 60 or 30 days) could affect enforceability and rural workforce issues.

The motion was moved by Julie Elginer, seconded by Joanne Pacheco, and passed by roll call: Michael Long, Julie Elginer and Joanne Pacheco voted “aye.” The committee forwarded the recommended positions to the full Dental Board of California for action.