NYC Construction Could Get Cheaper: A New Hope

<img src="https://virtuous-email.s3.amazonaws.com/Email/org_5718/GettyImages-2180946828.jpg" alt="The construction site of 432 Park Avenue" title="The construction site of 432 Park Avenue">

The recently introduced Infrastructure Expansion Act of 2025 aims to revolutionize construction in New York by exempting federally funded projects from the state's expensive Scaffold Law. This law currently forces employers and property owners to shoulder the responsibility for all "gravity-related" workplace injuries, regardless of fault.

Ken Girardin, a key figure in this debate, highlights how the Scaffold Law fuels inflated settlements, even in cases of worker negligence or intoxication. These inflated costs, he argues, translate into higher insurance premiums across the board, impacting both public and private construction projects.

This reform is seen as a crucial step towards making housing more affordable and providing businesses with more predictable insurance costs. The bill offers a much-needed chance to overhaul a system that many believe is broken.

Learn more about the proposed changes and their potential impact: Read more

Beyond Construction: Other Key Developments

The article also touches upon other important topics, including:

• Government Data Collection: The need for improved data infrastructure and the controversy around contracts with companies like Palantir for modernizing federal IT systems.
• Gender Medicine Podcast: A critical review of The Protocol, a New York Times podcast on gender medicine, highlighting its perceived bias and lack of diverse perspectives.
• Regulatory Reform: A review of Regulatory Reform from Nixon to Biden, arguing for a new Congressional Office of Regulatory Analysis to counter executive overreach.