If food, nutrition and dietetics are part of your profession, then policy should be your passion.
The Missouri State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics members are experts in food, nutrition, and health working on a broad range of issues to advance the nutritional status of people in our state. There are many ways by which Missouri Academy’s 1300 dietetics professionals are affected by public policy - and many opportunities to participate in the legislative process, both here in Missouri and in Washington, DC.
What’s Going On?
The Public Policy Panel keeps track of and plans activities around current state legislation and federal legislation.
1. Introducing a temporary licensure bill in Missouri: This bill specifies that, a first time applicant who has not previously taken or passed an examination may obtain without examination a nonrenewable temporary license by paying a temporary-license fee and submitting an agreement-to-supervise form that is signed by a licensed dietitian who has agreed to supervise the applicant. Such temporary licensee may practice dietetics, but any such practice must be under the supervision of a dietitian licensed in this state.
The supervising dietitian must have an unencumbered license to practice and he or she cannot be an immediate family member of the temporary licensee.
The temporary license obtained by an applicant will expire the date the licensee's employment with the supervising dietitian has ceased or within one 180 days of its issuance, whichever occurs first.
2. Introducing a Dietitian Compact bill in Missouri: The Council of State Governments (CSG) is partnering with the Department of Defense (DoD) and The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) to support the mobility of licensed dietitians through the development of a new interstate compact. This additional licensing pathway will facilitate multistate practice among member states and reduce the barriers to license portability.
The Dietitian Licensure Compact is a legally binding agreement among states that provides a pathway to practice through which dietitians can obtain compact privileges which authorize practice in states where they are not licensed. A state must enact the compact model legislation via a state’s legislative process to join. For more information: https://dietitianscompact.org
Looking to Get Involved?
If you would like to be involved in Missouri’s policy activities consider joining the Public Policy Team. Contact Carmen Berry at ppc@eatrightmissouri.org for more information.
Another way to be involved is to let us know how your practice area affects public policy and vice versa. When we meet with policymakers we share stories from RDs working on the issues being discussed.