NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8115
SPONSOR: Lifton TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the education law, in relation to
clarifying the status of certain persons exempt from optometrist license
requirements
PURPOSE:
This bill amends Section 7105 of the Education law to allow an optometry
student to engage in clinical practice under the supervision of a
licensed optometrist in pursuance of a program for the training of opto-
metry, provided that the school of optometry has accreditation accepta-
ble to the department.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill amends subdivision a of section 7105 of the education law to
allow a student of optometry to do clinical work under the supervision
of a licensed optometrist for the completion of an accredited of optome-
try training, provided that the school of optometry has accreditation
acceptable to the department.
JUSTIFICATION:
Currently, optometry students are only permitted to be exempted from
licensure laws to do supervised clinical work in New York if they have
attended a school of optometry registered in the State of New York by
the Department of Education. This requirement precludes any student who
attended an accredited school of optometry outside of New York from
participating in any clinical programs located in New York State. If the
student has completed the required curriculum they should not be
precluded from a clinical rotation position in New York based upon the
location of the educational facility they attended. This is particular-
ly difficult for those students who are residents of New York State and
attended an out of state optometric school. The current statute would
discourage residents from returning to their home state to perfect and
hone their optometric abilities, making it more likely that they will
take their skills to another state.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill in Assembly.
2017-18: S.6379 passed Senate
2015-16: S.2624 died in Higher Education Committee
2013-14: S.7820 died in Higher Education Committee
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
The bill takes effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8115
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
June 3, 2019
___________
Introduced by M. of A. LIFTON -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to clarifying the status
of certain persons exempt from optometrist license requirements
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision a of section 7105 of the education law, as
2 added by chapter 987 of the laws of 1971, is amended to read as follows:
3 a. A student in a school of optometry with accreditation acceptable to
4 the department from engaging in clinical practice under the supervision
5 of a licensed optometrist or physician [in a school of optometry in this
6 state registered by the department]; or
7 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08877-06-9
