St. Paul, MN - Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed SF 475, which authorizes dentists to administer coronavirus vaccinations. The legislation, authored by Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL - Golden Valley), was approved unanimously.
“While the supply of COVID vaccines has yet to meet its great demand, when that moment arrives Minnesota will be better prepared by allowing our dentists to administer this vaccine,” said Rep. Freiberg. “Dentists are more than capable of handling this task, and allowing them to do so ensures that vaccines can be more readily available throughout the state.”
Under current law, dentists are already allowed to administer the influenza vaccine. This legislation would sunset the authorization on June 1, 2022, at which point distribution of the COVID vaccine can be better reviewed, as well as whether this should be a permanent change.
While the legislation previously passed the Minnesota Senate, differing language approved by the House means that it will need to either be approved again by the Senate or sent to a conference committee. Video of the House Floor debate is available on the House Public Information YouTube channel.