Establishing Dental Department, United States Navy

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:45 a. m., in room 212, Senate Office Building, Senator David I. Walsh (chairman) presiding. Fresent: Senators Walsh (chairman), Gerry, Gillette, Lucas, Brooks, Davis, Walsh of New Jersey, and Willis.

The CHAIRMAN. We will now proceed to consider Docket No. 193, S. 2144, which is identical to H. R. 4216, to provide more efficient dental care for the personnel of the United States Navy.

(S. 2144 and H. R. 4216 are as follows:)

[S. 2144, 78th Cong., 2d Sess.]

A BILL To provide more efficient dental care for the personnel of the United States Navy Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Navy shall, within six months after the date of enactment of this Act, reorganize the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in accordance with the provisions hereof.

SEC. 2. The functions of the Medical Corps and those of the Dental Corps shall each be defined and prescribed by regulations of the Secretary of the Navy, and each such corps shall have a Director, who shall be responsible to the Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

SEC. 3. An officer of the Medical Corps of the Navy shall be detailed as the Director of the Medical Corps, and an officer of the Dental Corps of the Navy shall be detailed as Director of the Dental Corps. Such officers, while so serving, shall have the rank, pay, and allowances of a rear admiral. No provision of this Act shall be construed to reduce the rank or pay of any person.

SEC. 4. The Secretary of the Navy shall provide by regulations for establishing on ships and on shore stations dental services to be administered under the senior dental officer who shall be responsible directly to the commanding officer of such 'ship or shore station for all professional, technical, and administrative matters in connection therewith.

SEC. 5. The Secretary of the Navy shall provide by regulations for a suitable number of dental technicians of appropriate ratings and ranks and for their training, detail, retention, supervision, and direction by appropriate dental officers in carrying out the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 6. In carrying out the provisions hereof, the Secretary of the Navy shall consult with the Chief of Naval Operations and shall not impose any administrative requirements hereunder on combatant ships or in combatant areas ashore which would interfere with the proper functioning of battle organizations. SEC. 7. All laws and parts of laws in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.

(H. R. 4216, 78th Cong., 2d sess.; Report No. 1909, Union Calendar No. 623]
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]

A BILL To provide more efficient dental care for the personnel of the United States Navy

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, [That (1) the Secretary of the Navy be authorized and directed, no later than sixty days after this Act becomes law, to establish a Dental Department in the Navy, which shall function under the Surgeon General as is now provided in the case of the Medical Department.

[(2) To provide that the functions of the Dental Department shall be of such professional, technical, and administrative nature as pertain to the conduct of the naval dental service, including cooperation with the Medical Department in all_matters of mutual interest and cognizance.

[(3) To provide that personnel of the Dental Department shall consist of (a) officers of the Dental Corps, one of whom shall serve as Director of Dentistry and be directly responsible to the Surgeon General for the administration of dental affairs within the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery; (b) chief warrant and warrant officers in numbers not exceeding 5 per centum of the total number of officers of the Dental Corps; (c) enlisted personnel in such ratings and distribution by pay grades within the ratings and in such numbers not to exceed 166 per centum of the total number of dental officers, as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Navy: Provided further, that nothing stated herein shall act to reduce the grade or rank of any person.

[(4) To provide that the Director of Dentistry shall be appointed by the President from dental officers on active duty and that the Director of Dentistry shall, while so serving, have the rank of Rear Admiral.

[(5) This Act to take effect immediately upon its approval by the President.] That the Secretary of the Navy shall within six months after the date of enactment of this Act reorganize the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in accordance with the provisions hereof.

Sec. 2. The functions of the Medical Corps and those of the Dental Corps shall each be defined and prescribed by regulations of the Secretary of the Navy, and each such corps shall have a Director, who shall be responsible to the Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

Sec. 3. An officer of the Medical Corps of the Navy shall be detailed as the Director of the Medical Corps, and an officer of the Dental Corps of the Navy shall be detailed as the Director of the Dental Corps. Such officers, while so serving, shall have the rank, pay, and allowances of a rear admiral. No provision of this Act shall be construed to reduce the rank or pay of any person.

Sec. 4. The Secretary of the Navy shall provide by regulations for establishing on ships and on shore stations dental services to be administered under the senior dental officer who shall be responsible directly to the commanding officer of such ship or shore station for all professional, technical, and administrative matters in connection therewith.

Sec. 5. The Secretary of the Navy shall provide by regulations for a suitable number of dental technicians of appropriate ratings and ranks and for their training, detail, retention, supervision, and direction by appropriate dental officers in carrying out the provisions of this Act.

Sec. 6. In carrying out the provisions hereof, the Secretary of the Navy shall consult with the Chief of Naval Operations and shall not impose any administrative requirements hereunder on combatant ships or in combatant areas ashorė which would interfere with the proper functioning of battle organizations.

Sec. 7. All laws and parts of laws in conflict herewith are hereby repealed. The CHAIRMAN. I think the first procedure should be perhaps to read the adverse report sent in by the Navy Department so the petitioners for this legislation may know the views expressed by the Navy Department already.

Senator WILLIS. What is the bill?

The CHAIRMAN. Docket 193, S. 2144. A similar bill H. R. 4216 is pending in the House, has passed the House committee, has been held up in the Committee on Rules this past week, the Committee on Rules agreed to submit it to the House, and I understand it is scheduled to come up about Thursday.

I will read the report:

The bill S. 2144, "to provide more efficient dental care for the personnel of the United States Navy," was referred to the Navy Department by your committee with a request for views of the Navy Department thereon.

The purpose of the bill, S. 2144, is to reorganize the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery of the Navy Department with respect to dental officers and technicians to the end that dental services will be administered on ships and shore stations under the senior dental officer with such officer responsible directly to the commanding officer for all professional, technical, and administrative matters in connection therewith; that functions of the Medical Corps and Dental Corps will be defined by regulations; that an officer of each of the respective corps shall be detailed as director thereof, with the rank, pay, and allowances of a rear admiral; and that dental technicians in suitable number shall be under the supervision, training, detail, and retention of dental officers. The bill provides that no administrative requirements shall be imposed which would interfere with proper functioning of battle organization on combatant ships or in combatant areas.

Although differing in language and in minor substantive details, the proposed legislation has the same general purposes as the bill S. 1861, concerning which a report to the Navy Department was made to your committee by letter of May 9, 1944. The observations in that report as to the unnecessary duplications in organization, violation of organizational principles, and adverse effects on the Hospital Corps which would result in enactment of the bill $. 1861 are equally applicable to the bill S. 2144.

At the hearings held June 22 and June 23, 1944, before the House Committee on Naval Affairs on H. R. 4216, a companion bill to S. 1861, which in amended form is a companion bill to S. 2144, the Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery expressed the views of the Navy Department on that bill, which are equally applicable to S. 2144. At that time he submitted to the committee a substitute bill, a copy of which is enclosed. This substitute bill represents the full extent to which the reorganization of dentistry in the Navy, in accordance with recommendations of the dental profession, could be carried out and yet permit the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery to fulfill its responsibilities for the health of the Navy and the care of the sick and wounded.

It is the recommendation of the Navy Department, if legislation on the subject is favorably considered, that S. 2144 be amended by substituting provisions of the enclosed draft for the provisions now contained in the bill.

The Navy Department has been advised by the Bureau of the Budget that neither the bill S. 2144 nor the proposed substitute is in accord with the program of the President.

Perhaps I ought to read the substitute:

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That within sixty days after the date of enactment of this Act the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery shall be reorganized so as to provide for greater integrety of the dental service in accordance with the provisions hereof.

SEC. 2. The dental functions of such Bureau shall be defined and prescribed by appropriate directives of such Bureau, and by any necessary regulations of the Secretary of the Navy, to the end that the dental division of such Bureau shall study, plan, and direct all matters coming within the cognizance of such Division, as hereinafter prescribed, and all matters relating to dentistry shall be referred to the Dental Division.

SEC. 3. (a) The Dental Division shall (1) establish professional standards and policies for dental practice; (2) conduct inspections and surveys for maintenance of such standards; (3) initiate and recommend action pertaining to complements, appointments, advancement, training, assignment, and transfer of dental personel; and (4) serve as the advisory agency for the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery on all matters relating directly to dentstry.

(b)_The Dental Division shall consist of (1) an office of the Chief of Division, (2) a Dental Standards Branch, (3) a Dental Personnel Branch, and (4) a Dental Liaison Branch. An officer of the Dental Corps of the Navy shall be detailed as the Chief of the Dental Division. Such officer, while so serving in time of war, shall have the rank, pay, and allowances of a rear admiral.

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Establishing Dental Department, United States Navy: Hearings Before the ...