(ALBANY, NEW YORK) - Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation into law that establishes a registration system for contractors and subcontractors engaged in public work and covered private projects in order to provide additional transparency and better enforce existing Labor Laws and regulations.

Governor Hochul said: "This legislation will help ensure transparency, reduce fraud and ensure taxpayer money goes to contractors who treat their Workers with dignity and respect.  Our Workers are the engine of our economy and we must do everything we can to protect their rights."

The law creates a registration system for contractors and subcontractors that bid on contracts for public work projects and commence work on certain covered private projects that receive public subsidies in New York.  It also requires contractors and subcontractors to register with the State Department of Labor by providing a series of disclosures about their businesses every two years.

The Department of Labor will determine whether a contractor or subcontractor is fit to register, based on previous Labor Law and Workers Compensation Law violations, including Prevailing Wage requirements and create a publicly available on-line database.

In addition, the law will ensure State and local entities engage with contractors and subcontractors that will abide by New York Labor Laws and regulations.

New York State Building and Construction Trades Council President Gary LaBarbera said: "Far too often in the construction industry unscrupulous contractors are able to cheat Workers through a lack of transparency and accountability.  This legislation will play a large role in counteracting this trend and allow New York to protect our hard-working Tradesmen and Tradeswomen by ensuring that contractors receiving taxpayer revenue and public funds for their projects meet the very basic requirements for demonstrating that they are an upstanding business.  With the Department of Labor tasked with overseeing thousands of public projects, this registry will provide another tool for enforcing Prevailing Wage Laws and ensuring Construction Workers are treated fairly on the jobsite."

Bill Banfield, who serves as Assistant Executive Secretary-Treasurer for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, said: "The Carpenters applaud Governor Hochul for signing contractor registration into law.  Contractors who purposefully disregard Prevailing Wage Laws cheat Workers, taxpayers and the integrity of the Construction Industry.  The Contractor Registration Law that the Governor signed will ensure that when public money is spent, law abiding contractors are the ones doing that construction work.  Fairness in the construction industry starts with accountability."

To Read This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: https://cortlandvoice.com/2023/01/02/gov-hochul-signs-legislation-to-protect-integrity-of-public-work-projects/