BCW Joins Coalition of Business and Civic Groups Backing Legislation to Reform Outdated Scaffold Law

The Business Council of Westchester has joined with nearly 50 business and civic organizations to announce the formation of the Build More New York coalition to support jobs, construction and development across the state by reforming the outdated Scaffold Law.

Build More New York is rallying around Rep. Nick Langworthy’s Infrastructure Expansion Act, which will preempt the Scaffold Law for federally funded projects and promote the development of critical infrastructure such as housing, roads, bridges, tunnels and schools that support jobs and New York’s economy.

“As the largest business membership organization in Westchester County, the Business Council of Westchester (BCW), reforming the Scaffold Law continues to be one of our top legislative priorities,” said John Ravitz, Executive Vice President of the Business Council of Westchester. “The reform of this outdated law would assist the state’s economy and free up millions of dollars in state and municipal budgets, save hundreds of millions in infrastructure costs and release an estimated two hundred million dollars a year into the education budgets across the state.”

New York is the only state in the country that imposes an absolute liability standard on property owners and contractors for gravity-related injuries at construction sites, a prohibitive policy that increases overall construction costs by ten percent according to a 2021 report by the Building Trades Employers Association (BTEA). The law has driven insurers out of the market, reduced competition, and raised premiums, making it even harder to develop housing and other essential infrastructure projects in an already challenging environment.

The Infrastructure Expansion Act, introduced by Representative Langworthy as H.R. 3548, offers a targeted solution by ensuring that projects in New York use the same liability standard as in every other state. This would remove outdated regulatory barriers dating from 1885 that drive up construction costs, hinder housing and infrastructure development, and limit opportunities for economic growth across the state.

To read the full news release on the Build More New York coalition click here