Legislation of the Week

NYS Senate Bill 4453 

AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to grants for graduate medical education in Lyme and tick-borne disease. 

Sen. Dan Stec (R-45) Bill 4453 would change N.Y. public health law – allocating grants to N.Y. citizens that pursue a graduate degree in relation to programs that enhance training and expertise in Lyme and tick-borne diseases. These grants would support faculty recruitment, research and patient care. Additionally, this law would designate certain organizations to become centers for excellence in those diseases. Centers would provide technical information to practitioners. Finally, it would mandate reports to Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature on how effective these measures are. 

The proposed bill by Stec would encourage and assist college students to follow a career path that relates to Lyme and tick-borne disease prevention. St. Lawrence University students — particularly biology majors who are interested in research post undergrad — might consider this as a career path. Sen. Patrick M. Gallivan (R-60) and Sen. Jim Tedisco (R-44) will be co-sponsoring this bill. Having said that, three republicans trying to pass legislation in N.Y. is difficult, but certainly possible.