Action Alert: Please Ask the Senate Finance and the HGO Committee Members to OPPOSE SB237/HB290 Which Seeks to Usurp Parental Authority and Impose Needless Restrictions on School Access
Requiring parents and guardians of children enrolled in the Maryland Public School System, a family child care home, a large child care home, or a child care center to provide to the System, the home, or the facility certain evidence that the child has received a dental screening within certain time periods; establishing prohibitions and requirements regarding the eligibility for dental services and the reimbursement of dental-related services under the Maryland Medical Assistance Program; etc.
why icm OPPOSES SB237/HB290
- Oral health is not communicable among classmates. Lack of oral health assessment or poor oral health should not prevent a child's access to school or daycare.
- A wellness visit and assessment by a pediatrician is required to attend school or daycare; oral health problems posing serious immediate health risks to students, such as acute tooth infections, can be diagnosed by pediatricians who provide referrals to the appropriate specialists when needed. Imposing additional requirements to attend school or daycare places an additional burden on parents with no evidence of improved outcomes.
- This bill interferes with parental rights by superseding parental discretion in choosing their dental healthcare providers and working with their providers individually in determining the most appropriate care and services for their family.
- This bill fails to outline what constitutes a complete dental exam and what requirements would have to be met to attain an oral health certificate; approaches to dental health are broad and there is no current set of medical standards that provides this guidance.
- The bill also fails to outline what protocol would be in place for a child whose oral health is deemed to be poor, potentially keeping the child from attending school.
There are three ways to submit testimony: written, in-person, and virtual. You can find instructions on how to proceed with giving testimony on SB237 here and HB290 here.
Please note: You must register to give testimony for SB237 between 8 AM and 3 PM on Monday, February 13th. You must register to give testimony for HB290 between 8 AM and 3 PM on Friday, February 10th.
Who to contact about SB237/HB290
There will be a hearing for SB237 before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, 2/14/22 at 1:00 PM.
There will be a hearing for HB290 before the Health and Government Operations Committee on Wednesday, 2/14/22 at 1:00 PM.
URGENT: We’re asking all members to contact bill sponsors Senator Katherine Klausmeier, Delegate Heather Bagnall, Delegate Dana Jones, Delegate Sheila Ruth, Delegate Gary Simmons, Delegate Deni Taveras, and Delegate Jennifer White, and to call and email the members of the Senate Finance committee and the Health and Government Operations committee to let them know, in your own words, why you oppose SB237/HB290!
Please contact the following bill sponsors to express your opposition:
410-841-3620| 301-858-3620
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3620
410-841-3406| 301-858-3406
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3406
410-841-3211| 301-858-3211
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3211
e-mail: dana.jones@house.state.md.us
410-841-3802| 301-858-3802
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3802
e-mail: sheila.ruth@house.state.md.us
410-841-3581| 301-858-3581
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3581
e-mail: gary.simmons@house.state.md.us
410-841-3101| 301-858-3101
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3101
e-mail: deni.taveras@house.state.md.us
410-841-3744| 301-858-3744
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3744
e-mail: jennifer.white@house.state.md.us
Please copy and paste the following email addresses of the Senate Finance Committee members into the BCC section of your email in opposition to SB237:
melony.griffith@senate.state.md.us , pamela.beidle@senate.state.md.us , arthur.ellis@senate.state.md.us , dawn.gile@senate.state.md.us , antonio.hayes@senate.state.md.us , steve.hershey@senate.state.md.us , Ben.Kramer@senate.state.md.us , clarence.lam@senate.state.md.us , johnny.mautz@senate.state.md.us , justin.ready@senate.state.md.us
Please also copy and paste the following email addresses of the Health and Government Operations Committee members into the BCC section of your email in opposition to HB290:
joseline.pena.melnyk@house.state.md.us , ariana.kelly@house.state.md.us , tiffany.alston@house.state.md.us , harry.bhandari@house.state.md.us , brian.chisholm@house.state.md.us , bonnie.cullison@house.state.md.us , pam.guzzone@house.state.md.us , Terri.Hill@house.state.md.us , tom.hutchinson@house.state.md.us , steve.johnson@house.state.md.us , anne.kaiser@house.state.md.us , ken.kerr@house.state.md.us , nicholaus.kipke@house.state.md.us , robbyn.lewis@house.state.md.us , lesley.lopez@house.state.md.us , Matt.Morgan@house.state.md.us , Teresa.Reilly@house.state.md.us , samuel.rosenberg@house.state.md.us , kathy.szeliga@house.state.md.us , jamila.woods@house.state.md.us
Please call the offices of the Senate Finance Committee members in opposition to SB237:
Phone 410-841-3127 | 301-858-3127
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3127
Phone 410-841-3593 | 301-858-3593
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3593
Phone 410-841-3616 | 301-858-3616
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3616
Phone 410-841-3568 | 301-858-3568
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3568
Phone 410-841-3656 | 301-858-3656
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3656
Phone 410-841-3639 | 301-858-3639
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3639
Phone 410-841-3151 | 301-858-3151
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3151
Phone 410-841-3653 | 301-858-3653
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3653
Phone 410-841-3590 | 301-858-3590
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3590
Phone 410-841-3683 | 301-858-3683
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3683
Please call the offices of the Health and Government Operations Committee members in opposition to HB290:
Phone 410-841-3502 | 301-858-3502
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3502
Phone 410-841-3642 | 301-858-3642
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3642
Phone 410-841-3139 | 301-858-3139
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3139
Phone 410-841-3526 | 301-858-3526
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3526
Phone 410-841-3206 | 301-858-3206
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3206
Phone 410-841-3883 | 301-858-3883
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3883
Phone 410-841-3083 | 301-858-3083
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3083
Phone 410-841-3378 | 301-858-3378
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3378
Phone 410-841-3582 | 301-858-3582
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3582
Phone 410-841-3280 | 301-858-3280
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3280
Phone 410-841-3036 | 301-858-3036
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3036
Phone 410-841-3240 | 301-858-3240
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3240
Phone 410-841-3421 | 301-858-3421
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3421
Phone 410-841-3772 | 301-858-3772
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3772
Phone 410-841-3021 | 301-858-3021
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3021
Phone 410-841-3170 | 301-858-3170
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3170
Phone 410-841-3278 | 301-858-3278
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3278
Phone 410-841-3297 | 301-858-3297
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3297
Phone 410-841-3698 | 301-858-3698
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3698
Phone 410-841-3544 | 301-858-3544
Toll-free in MD 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3544
Please spread the word! Let’s flood the offices of the SB237/HB290 sponsors, the Senate Finance committee members, and HGO committee members with polite, respectful, forceful emails and phone calls. They need to hear our voices! the
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