As some of you may know, my daughter (the one with a doctorate in pharmacy) has just completed her first year of medical school (with a GPA of 4.0!). She is studying to become a Naturopathic Physician. Please follow this link to learn more: http://naturopathic.org/content.asp?contentid=60
Currently, 17 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States territories of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands have licensing or regulation laws for naturopathic doctors, but New York is not one of them.
The good news is that our own Senator LaValle has sponsored a bill http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S4828A-2013 to regulate the practice of naturopathic medicine. Better news is that it has made its way out of the Higher Education Committee, and today I learned it is out of the Finance Committee and may make its way to the floor for a vote from the Senate in the coming days!
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Having a personal interest in this important issue, I ask you to please call or email any NY Senator http://www.nysenate.gov/senators and encourage our elected officials to vote YES on bill S4828A.
You must act SOON, as their work is finished for the year on June 20, 2013, and if it does not get passed this go-round- they will have to start all over again next year. I was told that Senator LaValle is working very hard to get this passed by the NY Senate this year!
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Calling Senators to co-sponsor this bill, or just vote YES is good, but I think the real hurdles are in the NY Assembly.
This bill in the Assembly (A07860) has been sitting stagnant in the Committee for Higher Education; http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A07860&term=2013 for far too long.
I would suggest, ask, beg… that we all contact the Chair- Deborah Glick (click her name to get her contact info) and all of the members of this committee, and advise them that you want this bill out of committee and voted on by the general members of the Assembly!
Please tell them that the Senate is acting- and they should, at the very least, allow this to get out of committee, so that all the members of the NY Assembly can vote on this important bill! (For the people, by the people, right??)
I have reached out to Assemblyman Fred Theile, and I believe he supports this important bill. But his voice cannot be heard unless it gets out of the Higher Education Committee so he can vote on it!
Some folks advocating for this bill tell me that the 'majority whip' is in control....I'm not entirely sure what that is all about, but I think it is Sheldon Silver.... who is the current majority whip....how does one person have that much control??? Do tell...
In any event, here is the contact information for the NY Assembly Members who sit on the Committee for Higher Education - just click on their names to get their contact info- and PLEASE contact them! Inez Barron ,Anthony Brindisi, Marc Butler, Kevin Cahill, Michael Cusick, Janet Duprey, Steve Englebright ,Patricia Fahy, Michael Fitzpatrick ,Andrew Garbarino ,Richard Gottfried ,Ellen Jaffee ,Steve Katz ,Charles Lavine ,Barbara Lifton ,Donna Lupardo ,Chad Lupinacci ,William Magee,Amy Paulin,Crystal Peoples-Stokes ,Edward Ra, Gabriela Rosa, Michael Simanowitz, Al Stirpe .
What you must know, is that if this gets approved by the NY Senate- and the Higher Ed Committee of the Assembly do not allow it out of committee and onto the floor, all the work of the Senate is for naught- and they ALL will have to start over again next year…what a waste of time and energy....
It takes BOTH houses to vote YES - before June 20, to get this law passed!
Thus, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.
Please call, and/or email-the Assembly members above and tell everyone you know to do the same. The Chair, Deborah Glick, should be called and/ or emailed first-(be sure to ask her why she wont allow it to get out of committee!) and then please call/email as many of the other committee members as you can (and the omnipotent whip!).
Please ask them how they will vote- and why- and then hold them accountable now, or the next time they are up for re-election!
This is about recognizing a profession, consumer protection, the economy of New York, giving New Yorkers the ability to choose a licensed ND to meet their health care needs and so much more....
Please take a few minutes in the coming days to have your voice heard.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me at Deb4Trustee@optimum.net .
Thank you!
peace, love, and recycle- and please repeat often............
