NY State Senate Bill 2023-S9455

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 15, 2024	referred to higher education

2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9936
Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Rpld §7206-b sub 2, amd §7206-b, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2025-2026 Legislative Session:: S6482, A5622

2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides that the education requirements to be licensed as a professional geologist may be partially substituted by practical experience; relates to the issuance of an identification card as a geologist in training.

2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9455

SPONSOR: WEBB
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to the licensure of a
professional geologist; and to repeal subdivision 2 of section 7206-b of
the education law relating thereto

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation updates the geology licensing requirements by removing
the provision allowing for a substitution of 12 years working experience
for a bachelor's degree or higher based on a program in geology. Persons
with substantially equivalent educational credentials, in accordance
with the commissioner's regulations, will also qualify to sit for the
professional geology examination, provided all other requirements for
licensure are satisfied. The legislation also changes reference to
"intern geologists" to "geologists in training." Finally, a person seek-
ing licensure pursuant to the current 12 year experience ladder is
authorized to file an application within 2 years of the effective date
of the legislation in order to preserve the ability to qualify for geol-
ogy licensure based on experience.  S MMARY OF PROVISIONS:

  Section  1:  Repeals  subdivision 2 of section 7206-b of the education
law and adds a new subdivision 4 to require a formal education in geolo-
gy.

  Section 2: Changes "intern geologist" to "geologist in training".

  Section 3: Sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Today, very few individuals secure a professional geology license  with-
out a formal education including a bachelor's degree in geology.  Howev-
er,  a  bachelor's degree is not required under current law. The bill is
consistent with the standard used throughout the nation and reflects the
complexity of the demands placed on geologists, which include  research-
ing,   investigating,  consulting  and  geological  mapping.  This  work
describes the natural processes that act  upon  the  earth's  materials,
predicting  the probable occurrence of natural resources, predicting and
locating natural or human- induced phenomena  which  may  be  useful  or
hazardous  to  humankind  and  recognizing,  determining  and evaluating
geological factors, and the inspection  and  performance  of  geological
work  and  the  responsible  supervision  thereof  in furtherance of the
health, safety and welfare of the public.

The practice of geology  is  a  highly  technical  profession  requiring
extensive  knowledge  of math, science and geological principles, and it
is necessary to have an education requirement as part  of  the  require-
ments  for licensure as a professional geologist. This revised education
requirement for geologists  will  help  ensure  the  health  safety  and
welfare  of the public, as geologists can no longer obtain the necessary
foundation in math, science, and geologic principles from a high  school
education and twelve years of experience.

Individuals  can  secure a bachelors degree in geology in New York via a
variety of public and private colleges, including  4  year  SUNY  insti-
tutions.  In  order to allow licensure by those individuals currently on
the 12-year experience-only pathway, a limited exception is provided for
individuals who have embarked on a career path in reliance upon  the  12
year ladder. Individuals seeking a license based upon the 12 year ladder
provision  will  be  afforded 2 years following the date of enactment to
file an application with the  Education  Department  thereby  preserving
their  right  to  utilize  this alternative approach to a license at any
time in the future.

Additionally the change in the title "intern geologist" to "geologist in
training" more aptly describes those on  the  path  to  licensure  as  a
professional geologist.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This  act  shall  take  effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law and shall apply to applications for licensure as
a professional geologist on or after such  effective  date.    Effective
immediately,  the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regu-
lation necessary for the implementation of this  act  on  its  effective
date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective
date.

2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9455
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 15, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  WEBB  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to  the  licensure  of  a
   professional  geologist; and to repeal subdivision 2 of section 7206-b
   of the education law relating thereto
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  2  of section 7206-b of the education law is
 REPEALED and subdivisions 3 and 4 are renumbered subdivisions  2  and  3
 and a new subdivision 4 is added to read as follows:
   4.  APPLICANTS  WHO  FILE  WITH THE DEPARTMENT WITHIN TWO YEARS OF THE
 EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION AN APPLICATION AND  FEE  REQUIREMENTS
 PURSUANT  TO  PARAGRAPHS  (A) AND (G) OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION
 AND WHO, AT SUCH TIME OR ANYTIME THEREAFTER, DEMONSTRATE TO  THE  SATIS-
 FACTION OF THE DEPARTMENT THAT THEY HAVE TWELVE YEARS OF PRACTICAL EXPE-
 RIENCE  IN WORK SATISFACTORY TO THE BOARD MAY SUBSTITUTE SUCH EXPERIENCE
 FOR THE DEGREE AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED IN  PARAGRAPHS  (B)
 AND (C) OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT EACH
 FULL YEAR OF STUDY IN GEOLOGY DEEMED SATISFACTORY TO THE DEPARTMENT MAY,
 AT  THE  DISCRETION OF THE BOARD, BE ACCEPTED IN LIEU OF UP TO TWO YEARS
 OF THE REQUIRED TWELVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
   § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 7206-b of the education law, as added by
 chapter 475 of the laws of 2014 and as renumbered by section one of this
 act, is amended to read as follows:
   2. For an identification card as [an "intern geologist"] A  "GEOLOGIST
 IN TRAINING", an applicant shall fulfill the requirements of subdivision
 one  of  this  section,  except  those in paragraphs (c) and (e) of such
 subdivision, provided that admission to the  examination  may  be  given
 when  the  applicant  is  within twenty credits of the completion of the
 requirements of the bachelor's degree or higher as prescribed  in  para-
 graph  (b)  of  subdivision  one  of this section[, or has completed the
 practical experience requirement of subdivision two  of  this  section].
 The fee for the examination and identification card as [an "intern geol-

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15153-01-4

 S. 9455                             2

 ogist"]  A  "GEOLOGIST IN TRAINING" shall be seventy dollars and the fee
 for each reexamination shall be seventy dollars.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it shall have become a law and shall apply to applications for licensure
 as  a  professional geologist on or after such effective date. Effective
 immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or  regu-
 lation  necessary  for  the  implementation of this act on its effective
 date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective
 date.

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Senate Bill S9455

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

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2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Lea Webb

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

Actions

2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S9455 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments