Capitol Ideas: August 2003

Capitol Ideas

August 25, 2003

CAPITOL IDEAS: States Contend with Dentist Shortage, Election Reform, Energy Security

Capitol Ideas is a periodic publication intended to provide state capitol journalists with the latest trends and information about state legislatures.

Dentist Shortage on Horizon? The number of dentists in every state will severely decline in the next two decades because most are nearing retirement and too few people are entering the profession, according to NCSL's July LegisBrief, The Effect of Retiring Dentists. Roughly 35 percent of dentists are older than 55, and 69 percent are older than 45. Some states are offering loan repayment programs to lure more dentists. Others are using other health professionals to provide oral care, such as hygienists and pediatricians. A few states are even offering incentives for retired dentists to come back part-time. For a copy of The Effect of Retiring Dentists, send an e-mail to press-room@ncsl.org.

Election Reform: In 2003 alone, state legislatures have passed 284 election reform bills and are still considering another 503. Most of these bring states into compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act, which provides states some money to update their voting systems, but includes several mandates as well. Find out more about these bills at this NCSL election Web page: www.ncsl.org/programs/legismgt/elect/taskfc/03billsum.htm. NCSL urges Congress to fully fund the Help America Vote Act. Read our policy position at www.ncsl.org/statefed/redistricting.htm#Fundingforstate.

Energy Security: The major blackout in the northeastern United States has focussed new attention on the security of our energy sources. A recent NCSL publication suggests steps legislators can take to protect their states' electrical, nuclear, gas, oil and telecommunications systems. For a copy of Energy Security, send an email to press-room@ncsl.org. Include your address since the book is not available electronically.

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