BILL NUMBER: S6112A

SPONSOR: STAVISKY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to the provision of
applications for registration to licensees by the state education
department

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS::

Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 6502 of the education law, as
amended by chapter 81 of the laws of 1995, is amended to read as
follows:

2. The department shall establish the beginning dates of the registra-
tion periods for each profession and provide an application for regis-
tration conforming to the requirements of section 3-503 of general obli-
gations law to every licensee currently registered at least four months
prior to the beginning of the registration period for the respective
profession; provided, however, the department shall mail an application
forty-five days prior to the end date of such registration period to any
licensee who has not been registered.
              

Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 
JUSTIFICATION::

Section 6502 of the Education Law requires the Office of the Professions
(OP) to mail a paper registration application at least 4 months before
the licensee's current registration. ends. This amounts to 25,000 to
28,000 mailings to licensees each month or a total of 300,000 to 336,000
mailings per year. The annual cost for printing and postage for such
mailing is approximately $250,000 and roughly, 24,000 applications are
returned for having an incorrect address which was provided by the
applicant.

Currently, OP is using the email address provided by the licensees to
email the registration notice about 4 months before the end of the
registration period. The notice provides the same information as the
mailed application and directs the licensee to the online registration
system. However, in order to comply with the law, a paper application is
also mailed to the licensee 4 months prior to the end of the registra-
tion period, with an email reminder being sent 6 weeks before the end of
the period.

Approximately 95% of licensees across 55 professions complete the regis-
tration process online and pay by credit card, rather than sending a
check and paper application. OP will continue to provide paper applica-
tions to those without a valid email address, upon request, or if the
licensee does not register when only 6 weeks are left in the current
registration period as we do now, so mailing the registration forms to
licenses will still be an option we use.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::

New

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS::
Reduction in mailing could reduce costs by up to $237,500.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE::

Immediately.