Rep. Simpson congratulates ADA

Washington鈥擠entist/Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) offered 150th anniversary congratulations to the American Dental Association in a congressional resolution introduced with 41 bipartisan cosponsors. Rep. Mike Ross (Ark.) is the lead Democrat cosponsor.

The resolution congratulates the Association for “working to improve the public’s oral health and promoting dentistry, supporting initiatives to improve access to oral health care services for all Americans, and emphasizing the benefits of prevention of disease through support of community prevention initiatives and promotion of good oral hygiene.”

Citing voluntary and professional efforts, the resolution says dental practices provide more than $2 billion in charitable and uncompensated care annually and the Association works to improve access to oral health care services “essential to help ensure the health of the American public.”聽

Rep. Simpson in a statement posted on his House of Representatives Web site says his pre-Congress practice of dentistry and his ADA membership make him “keenly aware of the good work that the ADA has done on behalf of the dental profession.”

The initial 41 cosponsors include 29 Republicans and 12 Democrats and Simpson aides say other members are signing on to the resolution, which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. A resolution is a non-legislative measure effective only in the chamber in which it is proposed and does not require concurrence by the other chamber or approval by the president. Simple resolutions express non-binding opinions on policies or issues.