Senate Higher Education Committee reports nine bills to the floor, holds dental preceptorship bill for review

The New York State Senate Higher Education Committee, chaired by Toby Stobisky, met March 4, 2025, and reported nine bills to the Senate floor while holding one bill for further review after members raised questions about licensing requirements and fiscal impacts.

The committee’s most discussed items were a measure to phase out certain mandatory fees charged to graduate student workers at State University of New York and City University of New York campuses and a bill to create a limited preceptorship pathway for dentists licensed outside New York. Committee members raised questions about the proposals’ fiscal effects and regulatory details; the dental bill was held for further consideration after the budget process.

Senate Bill 3458 (Stavisky) would phase out, beginning in 2026, certain mandatory university fees imposed by SUNY or CUNY for graduate teaching assistants, graduate assistants, graduate research assistants, graduate research associates and graduate teaching associates while preserving the Graduate Student Association student activity fee. Committee discussion focused on the bill’s fiscal impact and how lost fee revenue would be handled. Committee members asked staff for cost estimates; one figure referenced in committee discussion was about $6,800,000 in lost revenue for CUNY. Senator Jackson noted graduate instructors’ low pay, saying, “their salary is only about $11,000.” Chair Toby Stobisky said, “I frankly think that the fees ought to be folded into the tuition because fees are not reimbursable through the Pell Grants or TAP,” and the measure was sent to the Senate Finance Committee for further consideration.

Senate Bill 3966 (Stavisky) would allow the State Education Department to issue a limited permit so dentists not licensed in New York can participate as general practice dental preceptees in preceptorship programs supervised by a licensed dentist at federally qualified health centers or similar facilities that primarily serve underserved populations. Support memos came from the New York State Academic Dental Centers and the Community Health Care Association of New York. Several senators expressed uncertainty about how the bill’s pathway would interact with existing licensure endorsement routes and the number of years of practice required. A committee staffer explained the bill’s intent to substitute an approved preceptorship for a residency requirement; members noted there are other endorsement pathways that include two years of prior practice. Following that exchange, the chair said the committee would hold the bill and revisit it after the budget to allow time to reconcile regulatory differences.

Other bills the committee reported to the floor included:

- Senate Bill 2387 (Felder): Permits persons age 65 and older to take up to nine credit hours per semester at SUNY and CUNY campuses on a space-available basis without charge. Reported to the floor.

- Senate Bill 3236 (Cooney): Allows registered pharmacy technicians to practice in any pharmacy under the direct personal supervision of a licensed pharmacist. Reported to the floor.

- Senate Bill 4548 (Stavisky): Permits licensed dentists to administer vaccinations against human papillomavirus (HPV). Reported to the floor.

- Senate Bill 4559 (Stavisky): Requires appointment of a Title VI of the Civil Rights Act coordinator at every college and university in the state. Reported to the floor; the bill’s effective date would be 180 days after enactment.

- Senate Bill 4685 (Szygowski): Expands some community college boards by adding an 11th trustee and an ex officio nonvoting faculty or staff member. Members discussed confidentiality and executive-session access for the ex officio member; the committee signaled it may consider amendments and nevertheless reported the bill to the floor.

- Senate Bill 4892 (Mr. Dimiskey): Allows a licensed physical therapist assistant, under the direction and supervision of a licensed physical therapist, to perform patient-related activities assigned by the supervising physical therapist. Reported to the floor; effective one year after enactment.

- Senate Bill 5275 (Bailey): Permits athletic trainers licensed and in good standing in another jurisdiction to provide services to visiting athletes, team personnel or performing arts groups within defined limits. Reported to the floor.

- Senate Bill 5392 (Scarcella-Spann): Authorizes certain not-for-profit corporations to engage in engineering for conservation efforts (wetland restoration, habitat restoration, groundwater recharge or natural infrastructure) and to obtain certificates of authority in order to provide professional engineering, land surveying or professional geology services; memos in support included Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter and The Nature Conservancy; memos in opposition included the New York State Council of Professional Geologists and the New York State Society of Professional Engineers. Reported to the floor. Committee members confirmed that engineers performing work in New York must hold New York licenses.

Several bills were moved and seconded on the committee floor with voice votes. Where members raised substantive questions during discussion — notably on the graduate-fee and dental-license items — the committee either referred the bill to the appropriate committee (in the case of SB 3458, to Finance) or held the measure for further review (SB 3966). The meeting concluded with the committee chair confirming that the dental bill would be held and revisited after the budget process. The committee adjourned at 10:56 a.m.