Senate Higher Education Committee reports 10 bills to floor, including dentist vaccination authorization and university transparency measure

The New York State Senate Committee on Higher Education met April 30, 2025, and voted to report 10 bills to the Senate floor, including measures on professional licensure, campus anti-harassment protections, pharmacy and dental practice scope, and disclosure requirements for college research foundations.

The most substantive exchanges addressed two items: a bill to permit dentists to administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccines (and vaccines related to declared public health emergencies), and a proposal requiring annual online financial disclosures for research foundations affiliated with the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY).

Why it matters: the bills would change who may perform licensed health services, alter licensure pathways and continuing-education rules for design and accounting professions, and increase transparency for entities that manage college research funds. Several measures, if enacted, would take effect immediately or within specified months after enactment; others have later effective dates.

Key items covered (summary): - Senate Bill 607 (Stavisky): Amends Education Law and Social Services Law to provide licensure and scopes of practice for dietitians and nutritionists. The committee moved and seconded the bill and reported it to the floor. If enacted, the act would take effect 18 months after becoming law.

- Senate Bill 1834 (Martinez): Extends to New York State employees an existing licensure exemption (currently available to New York City employees) for junior or assistant landscape architects who work under licensed senior landscape architects. Reported to the floor; if enacted it would take effect immediately.

- Senate Bill 4669 (Comrie): The "Access Act," which would amend Executive Law to extend protections under the State Human Rights Law so students at higher-education institutions receive the same harassment protections as employees. Reported to the floor.

- Senate Bill 6482 (Webb): Updates geology licensing by removing an option allowing 12 years' work experience to substitute for a bachelor's degree while providing a time-limited exemption for those already on that 12‑year pathway. Reported to the floor; enactment would take effect the January day after becoming law.

- Senate Bill 6705 (Stavisky): Makes New York residents who completed an approved Job Corps online high school program eligible for New York State financial aid and college admission. Reported to the floor; if enacted it would take effect on the 90th day after becoming law.

- Senate Bill 6744A (Stavisky): Permits dentists to administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccines and vaccines related to declared public health emergencies. Committee discussion clarified the authorization is limited to influenza and COVID-19 in ordinary circumstances and extends to other vaccines only when tied to a public-health emergency; dentists previously had temporary authority under an executive order and proponents sought to codify continued authority in statute. Committee members questioned whether the change would meaningfully expand public access to vaccination, noting that pharmacies and other providers already offer walk-in influenza vaccinations; proponents said the provision preserves flexibility and reflects dentists' infection-control capabilities. The bill was moved, seconded and reported to the floor; if enacted it would take effect 180 days after becoming law.

- Senate Bill 67455 (listed on the agenda as a Stavisky measure): Requires SUNY and CUNY to publish annual online reports disclosing financial records, vendors, employees and general accounting information for research foundations operated by public colleges and community colleges. Committee members noted prior litigation over Freedom of Information Law access to such foundations and said the bill aims to improve transparency while staff said they were comparing approaches used by other states. Reported to the floor; if enacted it would take effect January 1 following enactment.

- Senate Bill 6891 (Stavisky) / bill number clarified on the agenda: Adds an additional pathway to CPA licensure; supporters and the New York State Society of CPAs endorsed the proposal. Committee discussion noted a floor amendment to set a 180-day effective date to allow the State Education Department and academic programs time to adjust. Reported to the floor; floor amendment anticipated.

- Senate Bill 7025 (Stavisky): Authorizes pharmacy technicians, under direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist, to compound, prepare, label, dispense prescriptions and administer vaccinations in pharmacies. The bill carried multiple letters of support from pharmacy and academic organizations and was reported to the floor; if enacted it would take effect immediately.

- Senate Bill 7220 (Webb): Grants licensed landscape architects the same flexibility as other licensed design professions for continuing-education course types required for reregistration and updates related continuing-education provisions. Reported to the floor; if enacted it would take effect 18 months after becoming law.

Votes at a glance: The transcript records each bill being moved, seconded and approved for reporting to the floor by voice vote. The committee record shows "Aye" responses and the clerk announced each bill "reported to the floor," but numerical vote tallies are not specified in the transcript.

Officials and staff on the record: the meeting included Senator Jackson (chairing portions of the hearing), Senator May, Senator Oberacher (name appears in the record), ranking member Senator Joseph Rippo, and Senators Stavisky, Martinez, Comrie, Webb, Fahey, O'Brien, Griffo, Williams and Cooney among others listed on the agenda; staff included Jan Dorman (director, Committee on Higher Education), Beth Lamattan (committee clerk), and Central Staff analysts named in the record. The meeting opened at 9:31 a.m. and adjourned at about 9:54 a.m.

What the record does not show: the transcript does not list roll-call vote counts for any bill; where the effective date or exact amendment language was described as to be set on the floor, that detail is noted as "floor amendment" in this summary. The committee did not adopt any final floor amendments during this session.

Next steps: All 10 bills were reported to the Senate floor for further consideration; additional committee meetings were announced but no date was specified in the transcript.