1) On Tuesday, September 30, 2025, we met with leadership, which included senior leadership, from the New York State Education Department, to discuss the progress of the academic advancement to a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy initiative. Attending the meeting were Katherine Herlihy, Esq., Benjamin Eddy, Director of Government Relations at Whiteman, Ostermann & Hanna LLP, Brandi Ewing, President of the NYSSRC and Stephen G. Smith, Vice president of the NYSSRC and Co-Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Academic Advancement of the Respiratory Care Profession in NYS. The members of SED who attended the meeting include Owen Donovan, Assistant Commissioner, Professional Licensing & Practice, Office of Professions, Lindsey Facteau, Office of Governmental Relations, Thania Fernandez, Counsel w/Office of Professions, Nikki Stewart, Counsel w/Office of Professions, Kent Sopris, Office of Governmental Relations, Paul Thompson, RT Licensure Board Executive Secretary, and David Wiech, Office of Professions staff. As you can see from the members of SED who attended the meeting that they are very interested in our initiative and wanted to ask us several questions concerning the progress of the bill and their concerns. As mentioned in November, Brandi and I spoke openly and without hesitation answering their questions and concerns. The meeting lasted for roughly an hour and was quite a comprehensive discussion.
The NYSSRC AD Hoc Team will continue to work with SED and explore other options to move our initiative of a BS in RT. The team will try with the next legislative session to set up a lobby day and hopefully meet with Alicia Hyndman, Chair of Higher Education in the Assembly, as well as other legislators who would help move our bill forward.
2) Assemblyman William Magnarelli, Assembly District 129, has introduced our bill to this year’s Assembly. Bill # is A00236. Mr. Magnarelli is a Member on Committees on Education, on rules, on Ways and means and is Chair of Transportation. There are presently seven bipartisan co-sponsors for our bill. They include Sayegh, Cook, Buttenschon and Gonzalez-Rojas, McDonald, Miller and Kassay, (D) Nader J. Sayegh, Assembly District 90, Chair, Subcommittee on Students with Special Needs. Member of the Committees of Health, Higher Education and Education, (D) Vivian E. Cook, Assembly District 32, Member of Committees on Ways and Means, Task Force on Women’s Issues, Committee on Rules and Codes, (D) Marianne Buttenschon, Assembly District 119, Chair, Committee on Small Business, Member of Committees on the Higher Education, Education and Legislative Women’s Caucus, (D) Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, Assembly District 34, Chair, Task Force on Women’s Issues and Subcommittee on Human Trafficking, Member of Committees on Health, Legislative Women’s Caucus, On Children and Families and Social Services, (D) John T. McDonald III, Assembly District 108, Chair, Committee on Governmental Operations, Member of Committees on Health, on Higher Education and on Ways and Means, (R) Brian D. Miller, Assembly District 122, Member of Committees on Higher Education, Education, Consumer Affairs and Protection, (D) Rebecca Kassay, Assembly District 4, Member of Committees on Governmental Operations, Local Governments and legislative Women’s Caucus. Link to the bill in the Assembly.
3) In the NYS Senate bipartisan bill, (D) Andrew Gounardes, 26th Senate District and co-sponsored by (R) Anthony H. Palumbo,1st Senate District. Senator Gounardes is Chair of the Committee on Budget and Revenue and is a Member of Higher Education, Judiciary, Codes and Internet and Technology, Senator Palumbo is the Ranking member on Codes, Judiciary and is a member on mental health and Ethics and internal Governance.
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S6329/amendment/original
4) The Empire State University is in the process of completing a curriculum and waiting for approval for the online BS in Respiratory Care. The bachelor’s degree completion program in respiratory care requires a total of 120 credits completed through a combination of respiratory care component requirements, transfer credits and credits earned by meeting SUNY Empire’s general learning requirements. This is an upper-division online bachelor’s degree completion program requiring an associate’s degree in respiratory care from an accredited institution of higher education. Most students enroll on a part-time basis and complete the program in 36 – 48 months. This is a major accomplishment for the profession and the NYSSRC thanks those who have been directly involved in designing the curriculum for this program. Link to review the program.
Long Island University has an articulation agreement with the Borough of Manhattan Community College, where graduates with an associate’s degree in respiratory therapy can gain admission into the LIU RT Program to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Respiratory Therapy. The NYSSRC would encourage all BS in RT programs in New York State to develop upper-division online bachelor’s degree completion program requiring an associate’s degree in respiratory care from an accredited institution of higher education.
5) The NYS Legislative Calendar, from January – June 2026.
6) A copy of the New York State Justification for Changing the Requirement from an Associate to bachelor’s degree.
