Recent Legislation

The NYSDA Government Affairs team persevered during a chaotic Senate session and was successful in passing S.4135-A (Oppenheimer) in the New York State Legislature.

The bill eliminates the need for limited permits for dental residents, fixing problems that dental residents and residency programs suffered due to an antiquated limited permit system. Dental residents, like their medical resident counterparts, will be treated as exempt persons when they enter their dental residency.

The identical Assembly version of the bill, A.6718-B (Pheffer), passed the Assembly on May 26. The legislation will now be transmitted to Governor David Paterson for his signature to become law.

NYSDA acknowledges the efforts of the Bronx County Dental Society and its executive director, Dr. Robert Yeshion, for pressing the case for this legislation to Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. Equally invaluable was the assistance of all hospital residency program directors in establishing good cause for passing the bill as soon as possible.

"This kind of legislative win under the current political circumstances in Albany is extraordinary," said Dr. Alan Mazer, Chair of the NYSDA Council on Government Affairs.