On Jan. 30, the House Judiciary Committee took an important step towards common sense tort reform by approving The Infrastructure Expansion Act of 2017, H.R. 3808. The bill addresses an antiquated New York State law commonly known as the “Scaffold Law.” The Scaffold Law has been construed to impose strict liability on property owners and/or general contractors who have no direct supervision of an employee, nor anything to do with the circumstances of the plaintiff’s accident.
AGC supports H.R. 3808 because the Scaffold Law fails to improve both public safety and worker safety, while at the same time raising the cost of construction projects in New York. It also does nothing to limit workers’ access to the workers compensation system, nor does it protect any entity from contributory negligence for a fall or other accident from height. AGC joined a coalition in support H.R. 3808 and urges Congress to pass it.
For more information, contact Jim Young at [email protected] or (202) 547-0133.