Editor's note: This article has been updated
New York State Senator Jim Tedisco is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to call a special session of the State Legislature to ban non-compete clauses in healthcare.
Tedisco's comments come as Ellis Medicine and St. Peter's Health Partners are embroiled in a legal battle over contracts between St. Peter's and 27 cardiologists.
During a since abandoned merger between St. Peter's and Ellis, those 27 cardiologists signed contracts with St. Peter's that barred them from working with Ellis for one year. St. Peter's and Ellis have both sued each other over the issue, and St. Peter's is suing two of the 20 cardiologists who say they'll leave St. Peter's to work for Ellis in January, despite those non-compete clauses.
Tedisco, a Republican who represents part of Schenectady County, says non-compete clauses are "pitting" different parts of the state against each other for healthcare resources.
"To stop people from sharing their services and their skills in the field of healthcare makes no sense whatsoever, and we've got to eliminate it," Tedisco said. "We can't wait six months to do that. We should come back as soon as we possibly can, even before an election."
In a press release the day after this story was originally published, Tedisco's Democratic opponent, Albany Law School professor Sarah Rogerson, pointed out that Tedisco had voted against a bill in 2023 that would've banned non-compete clauses, regardless of industry.
The bill passed the State Senate along party lines, with Tedisco and all other Republicans against the measure. The bill also passed the State Assembly, but was vetoed by Hochul, a Democrat.
Rogerson also wants to ban non-compete clauses in healthcare, but she says Tedisco should've acted sooner.
"It's very interesting that over the five or six years that this has been unfolding, he hasn't asked for a special session or any attention to be placed on this issue," Rogerson said in an interview Thursday. "Why is he doing it now, 34 days before an election? That doesn't track for me. We need to be proactive."
Hochul told reporters on Friday that she was not planning to call a special session related to a separate issue: New York's rape laws following a sexual assault scandal at Cornell University.
