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H.R. 5949

U.S. House•In House Committee

Summary

H.R. 5949, the Rural Veterans Dental Care Act, was introduced in the House on Nov 7, 2025 by Rep. Ernest Gonzales (R). It was referred to Subcommittee on Health, and last saw action on Nov 17, 2025: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Record

Text

H.R. 5949 has no co-sponsors and has not gone to a roll call.

hb5949/introduced-in-house.txt
119 HR 5949 IH: Rural Veterans Dental Care Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2025-11-07
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 I  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  H. R. 5949  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   November 7, 2025   Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas  introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Veterans' Affairs    A BILL
To establish a pilot program to furnish dental care to veterans who reside in rural and highly rural areas.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Rural Veterans Dental Care Act  .
2.
Pilot program to furnish dental care to veterans who reside in rural areas
(a)
Establishment
On October 1, 2026, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a pilot program to furnish dental care to veterans who reside in rural and highly rural areas (as determined by the Director of the Office of Rural Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs).
(b)
Methods
To carry out the pilot program, the Secretary may use the following methods:
(1)
Vans equipped with full diagnostic and treatment dental equipment.
(2)
Modular or containerized mobile dental clinics—
(A)
at community-based outpatient clinics of the Department; or
(B)
rural health fairs.
(3)
Tents or other temporary structures at outreach events of the Department.
(c)
Priority
In selecting locations to carry out the pilot program, the Secretary shall give priority to locations—
(1)
located more than 75 miles from the dental clinic operated by the Secretary;
(2)
that have a high concentration of veterans with unmet dental needs; and
(3)
rural and highly rural areas (as such terms are used by the Office of Rural Health of the Veterans Health Administration) that have large populations of veterans.
(d)
Duration
The pilot program shall terminate on September 30, 2029.
(e)
Reporting
Not later than September 30 of 2027, 2028, and 2029, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the pilot program. Such a report shall include the following elements:
(1)
The number of veterans who received dental care through the pilot program.
(2)
Locations where the Secretary carried out the pilot program.
(3)
The costs for operating each method under subsection (b).
(4)
The recommendation of the Secretary whether to improve or make permanent the pilot program.

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2025-11-07
  2. Passed House
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

To establish a pilot program to furnish dental care to veterans who reside in rural and highly rural areas.

Sponsors

Rep. Ernest Gonzales (R) sponsors H.R. 5949 alone.

Committees

H.R. 5949 went before 2 committees: Health Subcommittee and Veterans' Affairs.

Health Subcommittee
Health Subcommittee
Referred to · Nov 17, 2025 · 143 Bills
Veterans' Affairs
Veterans' Affairs
Referred To · Nov 7, 2025 · 285 Bills

Actions

H.R. 5949 has taken 3 actions since Nov 7, 2025, the latest on Nov 17, 2025.

ChamberAction
Nov 17, 2025
House
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.Health Subcommittee
Nov 7, 2025
House
Introduced in House
Nov 7, 2025
House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.Veterans' Affairs Committee

Votes

H.R. 5949 has not gone to a roll call.

Titles

H.R. 5949 goes by 3 titles, 1 of them short titles.

  • Rural Veterans Dental Care Act — Display Title
  • Rural Veterans Dental Care Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced
  • To establish a pilot program to furnish dental care to veterans who reside in rural and highly rural areas. — Official Title as Introduced

Lobbying

2 clients hired 2 firms and 9 registered lobbyists who named H.R. 5949 in 4 quarterly filings, 2025 to 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.

Filed under Veterans, Health Issues, Medicare/Medicaid.

Clients

Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.

ClientBusinessStateFirmsFilingsReported
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS—District of Columbia13—
CAREQUEST INSTITUTE FOR ORAL HEALTH, INC.—Massachusetts11—

Firms

Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.

RegistrantClientsFilingsReported
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS13—
CAREQUEST INSTITUTE FOR ORAL HEALTH, INC.11—

Lobbyists

Named on the filings that cite the bill.

LobbyistFirmsClientsFilings
JON RETZER113
NAOMI MATHIS113
PETER DICKINSON113
SHAMALA CAPIZZI113
JOSEPH LEMAY112
KEVIN MILLER112
SHANE LIERMANN112
JOY ILEM111
MELISSA BURROUGHS111

Filings

The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.

ClientRegistrantPeriodReportedDocument
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANSDISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS2026 first_quarter$175.9K1st Quarter - Report
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANSDISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS2025 fourth_quarter$161.3K4th Quarter - Report
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANSDISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS2026 second_quarter$149.2K2nd Quarter - Report
CAREQUEST INSTITUTE FOR ORAL HEALTH, INC.CAREQUEST INSTITUTE FOR ORAL HEALTH, INC.2025 fourth_quarter$90K4th Quarter - Report

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 5949 under Armed Forces and National Security, one of its 31 policy areas.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 5949’s is Armed Forces and National Security.

hr5949/policy-areas.txt
Armed Forces and National SecurityAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com