Fiscal Note
BILL # HB 2190 TITLE: dentists; dental hygienists; compact
SPONSOR: Bliss STATUS: House Engrossed
PREPARED BY: Benjamin Beutler
Description
The bill would adopt the Dentists and Dental Hygienists Compact, which would permit licensed dental professionals to
obtain multi-state licensure in other participating compact states. In addition, the bill would establish the Dentist and
Dental Hygienist Compact Commission, which would appoint a delegate from Arizona for the compact's national
administrative body.
Estimated Impact
We estimate that the board's annual operating costs may increase to pay fees associated with participating in the
compact and for any additional workload associated with processing compact privileges for licensees. We assume the
board would charge compact privilege fees sufficient to fund any increase in operating costs.
To the extent that the bill incentivizes dental professionals to obtain a compact license in a different home state, revenue
to the board's fund could decrease. Current law requires 15% of licensing revenues to be deposited in the General Fund.
We cannot determine the magnitude of this impact in advance.
The Arizona Board of Dental Examiners stated that the fiscal impact cannot be estimated without additional information
on fees being levied to participating compact states, but that they expect the compact to result in reduced licensing
revenues.
Analysis
There are currently 11,488 licensed dental professionals in Arizona, including 5,658 dentists and 5,405 dental hygienists.
Of the 11,488 licensed dental professionals in Arizona, 1,361 reside out of state. The dentist triennial license renewal fee
is $650, and the dental hygienist triennial license renewal fee is $325.
To date, 10 states have joined the compact. The compact is currently under consideration in an additional 16 states. In
terms of Arizona's neighboring states, Nevada and New Mexico are considering the compact, and Colorado has adopted
the compact. Compact privileges, however, are not yet being issued, with an estimated 10- to 12-month implementation
period before compact privileges will be issued (i.e., FY 2026).
As a member of the compact, the Arizona Board of Dental Examiners would select a commissioner for the compact's
national administrative body called the Dentists and Dental Hygienists Compact Commission. The bill allows the
Commission and the state to levy a fee on licensees who have a compact privilege. In addition, the Commission is allowed
to levy an annual assessment on the states for participation. The fiscal impact to the state will depend on the number of
dental professionals licensed in Arizona incentivized to become licensed in other states, and vice versa, as well as
Commission fees charged to Arizona and compact licensing fees established by the board.
3/25/25