An Act Relative to Updating the Licensure of Optometrists

This legislation updates outdated language of the licensing law for optometrists regarding licensure requirements, penalties, advertising provisions, and references to certain agencies. The legislation also implements a uniform system of licensing for optometrists, preventing older license types from being issued to new applicants. In doing this, patients will be able to rely on the fact that any optometrist they see has the same level of qualifications and practice authority.

The current licensing system is administratively burdensome for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, confusing for new optometrists and, generally not helpful to the general public who may not know which license type the optometrist they are being seen by possesses.

An Act enabling registered dental hygienists to administer nitrous oxide

This legislation allows dental hygienists who have obtained a special permit to administer nitrous oxide to patients under the direct supervision of a dentist. For more than 40 years, dental hygienists in other parts of the country have safely administered nitrous oxide to patients under the supervision of dentists. Nitrous oxide is a safe and reliable method to reduce a patient’s fear and anxiety before or during dental procedures – in fact, is cited by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry as one of the safest sedatives used in the field.  

35 states that have passed similar legislation. Removing this artificial barrier will increase access to care by expanding the pool of qualified providers able to administer local anesthesia agents for treatments in their office, allowing busy dentists to devote more attention to patients. This bill also encourages professional development and allows dental hygienists greater ease to practice their skills. 

An Act prohibiting the use of coal tar sealers

This bill would prohibit the use of coal tar-based driveway and pavement sealants due to their harmful health and environmental impacts. Coal tar-based sealants typically contain 20-35% coal tar pitch which is a known human carcinogen, and the storm runoff of these products have detrimental effects on marine wildlife. A number of studies have found that living adjacent to coal tar sealed pavement is associated with significant increases in estimated excess lifetime cancer risk, and that much of the increased risk occurs during early childhood. Additional studies have found that runoff from coal tar harms marine ecosystems.

Washington, Minnesota, New York, Maryland, Maine, and Virginia have banned coal tar sealcoating used on driveways and parking lots.

An Act to Reform the Healthcare Cost Benchmark

Each year, the Health Policy Commission (HPC) board establishes a health care cost growth benchmark for the next calendar year. Unless modified by the HPC, the health care cost growth benchmark is equal to the growth rate of the “potential gross state product.” While the process involves input from economists and other experts, the Secretary of Administration and Finance and House and the Legislature jointly determine the growth rate of the potential gross state product.

For more than a decade since the law’s inception in 2012, the potential gross state product has always been determined to be 3.6% despite varying future and past measures of the state’s gross domestic product. This bill reforms the reference benchmark that is used to inform HPC’s health care cost growth benchmark to be based on historical state economic growth rather than an arbitrary process. A historical growth rate in gross state product would be calculated using the most recent ten-year period and would serve as the default health care cost benchmark subject to HPC modification and approval.