10 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • FEBRUARY 2022
WEB BRIEFS
LI AT A GLANCE
NY LIFTS LIMIT ON
WHOM BEHAVIOR
ANALYSTS CAN TREAT
New York State has repealed an arcane
law that had inadvertently restricted
board certifi ed behavior analysts from
providing treatment for anyone other
than people diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorder.
BCBAs and licensed behavior analysts
are trained to reduce harmful behavior
and teach new skills to people diagnosed
with anything from Down
syndrome to attention defi cit hyperactivity
disorder. New York is one of
30 states that requires BCBAs to be
licensed in addition to requiring them
to pass the national Behavior Analyst
Certifi cation Board exams — but
the Empire State was alone in limiting
BCBAs to helping only individuals
with autism.
“Such services can also be valuable
for other behavior disorders,” said
state Assemblyman Fred Thiele (ISag
Harbor), who cosponsored the bill
since 2017 and called the restriction
on BCBAs scope of practice arbitrary.
“This legislation will expand the options
for families in my region who
are in need of these valuable services.”
The problem arose when the state passed
a 2011 law requiring insurers to pay for
treatment of services for people with autism.
Lawmakers soon after passed an
amendment that created the license for
BCBAs and ensured that behavior analysis
is covered by insurance for the autistic.
It wasn’t until later that experts realized
that the law eff ectively limited BCBAs
from helping anyone else in New York.
The state Legislature passed the bill
repealing the BCBA scope restriction
in June 2021 and Gov. Kathy Hochul
signed it into law on Dec. 30.
-Timothy Bolger
4 LONGTIME NEWS 12 LI
REPORTERS LEAVE AMID
STAFFING SHIFTS
Four News 12 Long Island anchors and
reporters have announced their employment
with the Altice-owned news
station is ending.
Sports anchor Jamie Stuart, reporter
Christine Insinga, reporter Shari Einhorn,
and reporter/anchor Jackie Lukas
each
p o s t -
ed on social media
announcing their departures
from the company and refl ected on the
long careers spent there – Stuart for 21
years, Insinga for nearly 20 years, Lukas
for about 16, and Einhorn for 28
years.
“As News 12 continues to expand and
strengthen its news organization, we
are focusing additional resources to
cover more hard-hitting investigative
reporting and consumer-driven stories
that our viewers want,” the company
said.
In 2018, Altice was in the news for laying
off other employees who fi led a lawsuit
after their anchor and reporter positions
were cut.
-Briana Bonfi glio
SHINNECOCK INDIAN NATION
DOUBLES DOWN ON CASINO
PLANS
The Shinnecock Indian Nation is upping
the ante on its proposed casino,
trying its odds that it could win
approval to build a Las Vegas-style
gaming facility off its Southampton
territory.
Tribal leaders were among more than
two dozen entities that responded in
December 2021 to a request for information
from the New York State Gaming
Commission to gauge interest in
contracts for three Class III gaming
facilities — full-fl edged casinos with
live dealers — that could be awarded in
2023 for the downstate region. The development
comes nearly a year after
Shinnecock leaders announced
their third bid to build a
casino on tribal territory
in Southampton, albeit
a Class II gaming facility that
is limited to slot machines and electronic
gaming tables — no live dealers,
same as Long Island’s only other casino,
Jake’s 58 in Islandia.
“The Shinnecock submitted information
on why it should be considered for
a commercial Class III gaming license
in the New York Metropolitan area,”
Randy King, Shinnecock tribal vice
chair, told Dan’s Papers. “We will still
continue our push for a modest facility
on the East End of Long Island on
our territory in Southampton. But also
we’re seeking one of these licenses or
the ability to negotiate a Class III tribal
facility somewhere on Long Island.”
-TB, via Dan’s Papers
HOUSE PANEL PROBING
CAPITOL RIOT SEEKS INFO
FROM LI’S HANNITY
The U.S. House of Representatives
panel probing the deadly attack on the
U.S. Capitol in January 2021 wants to
question Fox News host and Long Island
native Sean Hannity about his text
messages with former President Donald
Trump, his aides, and his lawyers
from that time.
Representative Bennie Thompson, the
committee’s chairman, and U.S. Rep.
Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming), its vice chair,
on Jan. 4 sent a letter requesting that
Hannity voluntarily answer questions
about matters including his communications
with Trump, Trump’s chief
of staff Mark Meadows, and others in
the days surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021
attack.
T h e
letter added
that Hannity‘s
communications suggested
he “had knowledge of
concerns by President Trump’s White
House Counsel’s Offi ce regarding the
legality of the former President’s plans
for January 6.”
Hannity did not immediately respond
to a request for comment.
NEW NASSAU AREA CODE
COMING
The local 516 will no longer be the
only Nassau County area code beginning
in April 2023, when a new one
will start to appear in the (virtual)
phonebooks.
Individuals and businesses opening a
new telephone service within the current
516 region may receive Nassau’s
new area code, 363, starting in the
second quarter of 2023, the New York
State Public Commission announced
Monday. Eventually, all new phone services
will be assigned the 363 area code
once all existing, 10-digit 516 numbers
are exhausted. Current 516 numbers
will remain the same.
Current telephone numbers, including
current area code, will not change. The
commission expects the new area code
to provide telephone number relief to
Nassau for the next 49 years.
-BB
ployment -Reuters
IN THE NEWS
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