Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

Assembly Passes Landmark Legislation to Curb Prescription Drug Abuse

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Assemblyman Michael Cusick, and Health Committee Chair Richard N. Gottfried today announced the passage of the Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing (I-STOP) Act that would create an online, real-time database to track the dispensing of prescription drugs.

A series of provisions included in the bill (A.10623/Cusick) would reform the way prescription drugs are distributed and tracked in New York State by:

* creating a real-time prescription monitoring registry to provide timely and enhanced information to practitioners and pharmacists;

* requiring all prescriptions to be electronically transmitted;

* modifying the Controlled Substances Schedule by moving drugs with small amounts of hydrocodone to Schedule II and adding tramadol to Schedule IV; and

* directing the Department of Health to establish a safe disposal program for unused controlled substances.

SUNY Canton Breaks All-Time Applications Record

CANTON, NY (06/11/2012) -- SUNY Canton has broken its all-time record for applications for the third straight year and has received more than 6,000 applications for the first time in school history. As a result, Admissions Director Nicole Campbell is anticipating a fifth straight year of record-breaking enrollment.

To date, SUNY Canton has received more than 6,300 applications for the upcoming academic year, an increase of more than 20 percent from the same time last year and up almost 150 percent from just six years ago.

New students planning to begin during the Fall 2012 semester should process their deposits immediately to secure their seats in the College’s top programs.

Senate Gives Final Passage to Bill Protecting Consumers From Intrusive Telemarketers

The New York State Senate today gave final legislative passage to a bill that protects New Yorkers from intrusive or unwanted telemarketing practices. The bill (S7567A), sponsored by Senator Lee Zeldin (R-C-I, Shirley), regulates all telemarketers who do business in New York, wherever they may be located, and adds new consumer protections from unwelcome prerecorded calls, known as robocalls, from telemarketers.

Some things the legislation does are prohibit prerecorded telemarketing calls, also known as robocalls, without the call recipient’s express written consent, and requiring that prerecorded calls provide an automated interactive key-press or voice activated opt-out mechanism that would allow recipients to automatically add their phone number to the telemarketer’s do-not-call list and then terminate the call.