Last week, we posted three legislative videos on significant legislative proposals drawing the Society’s attention and energy in Albany. The session ended late last week, so we wanted to give you a brief summary of the results, which were all positive for professional engineers in New York. We will also be sending out a summary video next week.
Fingerprinting for Engineers – This legislation would require fingerprinting of licensed professionals (including engineers). The legislation did not pass either house. (The bill was primarily aimed at a number of the health care professions where false identities have been used to gain access to drugs, but engineers would have been included.)
Design Build in New York City – NYSSPE is in favor of Design Build so as long as the proper safeguards are in place. That being said, legislation was introduced at the request of NYC to permit NYC agencies to employ design build on projects in the City. We opposed the bill strongly because we had concluded that the legislation failed to include safeguards needed to insure both quality assurance and public safety. The bill did not pass either house. Further, we have a commitment on the part of the sponsor of the bill in the Assembly (Assemblyman Benedetto) to work with us to address the weaknesses in the bill which we have identified.
Parking Garage Inspections – NYSSPE played a big role in assisting local legislators in preparing this legislation that would require periodic structural inspections of parking garages in New York not less than every 5 years. Currently there is no requirement, and garages have been showing signs of failure. This bill did pass both houses and is expected to be approved by Governor Cuomo. This was a nice win for professional engineers.
We would love to hear any feedback you have on these or other issues. Please comment at the bottom of this post.
Thank you,
Anthony Fasano, P.E.
New York State Society of Professional Engineers
Executive Director
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Note: NYSSPE facilitates posting on this blog, but the views and accounts expressed herein are those of the author(s) and not the views or accounts of NYSSPE, its officers or directors whose views and accounts may or may not be similar or identical. NYSSPE, its officers and directors do not express any opinion regarding any product or service by virtue of reference to such product or service in this blog.
Howard Blitman says
well done Howard Blitman PE FNSPE FASCE
William J Wirth, PE says
Good and concise way to keep the membership up on current legislative activities. A good idea and pretty well done.
Rudi says
I am against fingerprinting for professional engineers.
“The best way to take control over a people and control them utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptible reductions. In this way, the people will not see those rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reversed.”
― Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf