Join us for our November Annual Membership Meeting!

This is a joint meeting for members of both The Building & Realty Institute and Building and Allied Construction Industries of Westchester, which is the local affiliate for the National Association of Homebuilders and the New York State Builders Association.

We’ll begin with informal networking and discussion at 5:00 PM.
The main program will begin at 6:00 PM.

Owing to the importance of the topic and because of the voting items on the agenda for members in good standing, ticket prices are waived for this event. 

Our Topic Will Be “Will 2027 Be The Year For Scaffold Law Reform?”

For decades, the BRI and other allies in the housing and business community have urged state leaders to look at reforming the “Scaffold Law,” which imposes an absolute liability standard upon builders, contractors, and property owners for workplace-related injuries involving construction, repair and rehabilitation, or demolition work. It was enacted into law in 1885 and predates more than 135 years of laws and protections which ensure worker safety on construction sites. New York is the last state in the nation to have this codified legal standard, and it is a leading factor in the substantially higher insurance premiums for New York construction projects and development costs compared to those in other states.

For many years, reforming the Scaffold Law has been a non-starter in Albany. But given the urgent needs to build the housing we need, to make much-needed repairs to affordable housing and the many 50-75 year old multifamily apartment buildings in the Hudson Valley, and to weather a tsunami of insurance increases, we are hearing more and more about a new push for reform in 2027.

Our speakers will help you understand what effect the Scaffold Law has on insurance and costs, the options for reform, and how public opinion may put wind in the sails of any tort and liability reform efforts in 2027.

Speakers:

• Zilvinas Silenas, President and CEO of the Empire Center for Public Policy
• John Faso, former U.S. Representative (NY-19) and former NYS Assembly Minority Leader
• Jason C. Schiciano, CPIA, President, Levitt-Fuirst Associates, LLC

If a conflict arises that will prevent you from attending, we highly encourage you to watch the live video stream, which will be hosted on the BRI’s YouTube channel.

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Please note this is also our Annual Membership Meeting of the Building & Realty Institute of the Hudson Valley. We will conduct official BRI business during the course of this meeting, most importantly a vote by the membership on the 2027 Boards of Directors for three of the component councils.

If you have any questions about the status of your BRI membership, the amendments, or how to participate in the November meeting, please don’t hesitate to call the BRI office at 914-273-0730 or email us at info@buildersinstitute.org.

REGISTER HERE!