GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE
DECEMBER 2025

2025 Recap: NYECA Legislative & Policy Accomplishments

As we approach year’s end, we wanted to highlight three significant state legislative accomplishments in 2025 of which the NYECA government affairs team is particularly proud:

      • Full Restoration of the Unemployment Insurance Fund and End Of Employer Special Assessments. NYECA advocated for approximately $7 billion in the FY 2025-26 budget to pay off the COVID-era federal UI Trust Fund loan. This one-time appropriation, which made it into the final budget agreement this year, brought the state’s UI fund to solvency and eliminated the special assessment that the Workers’ Compensation Board imposed, thereby saving your business money.
      • Opposed (and Stopped) a Proposed Increase in Temporary Disability Insurance Benefits. For the second year in a row, NYECA successfully prevented faulty legislation (A.84/S.172) that would have increased payroll costs for its members with a one-size-fits-all increase in TDI benefits for employees. NYECA has been clear in its support of a reasonable increase in TDI, if the increase also contains adequate consideration of union contractors operating under a collective bargaining agreement and additional consideration of NYECA’s unique circumstances as a self-funded plan. But the legislation still did not address these concerns, so we had no choice but to oppose it, thereby avoiding an increased operating cost from being imposed upon your business.
      • Introduction of Legislation to Reduce Workers’ Compensation Annual Assessments for the NYECA EESISP Plan. In 2025 NYECA secured the introduction of legislation that would provide significant financial relief for   Working with Assembly Labor Chair Harry Bronson, we drafted A.8900, which would cut in half the annual assessments paid to the Workers’ Compensation Board for self-insured employers operating an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) program such as EESISP, based on the logic that being a self-insured, almost fully independent plan, EESISP does  not rely upon the services or resources of the workers’ compensation system. Passage of this bill will be a NYECA priority in 2026, with the goal being to help control your insurance costs.

 

In addition to this, the NYECA government affairs team also:

      • Identified and monitored an unprecedented 383 state bills affecting construction and electrical contractors.
      • Monitored hundreds of New York City Council bill introductions.
      • Monitored state and city proposed regulations affecting the construction industry.
      • Submitted numerous support and opposition letters on pending state and city legislation affecting NYECA contractors.
      • Coordinated and attended various political activities and events via the NYECA PAC.
      • Provided valuable legislative analysis and research on various NYECA initiatives.

 

NYECA 2025 Final Priority Bill Status Update

With one month left in the year, here are the final priority bills the NYECA is carefully monitoring which the governor must either sign into law, veto, or sign into law subject to revision, by December 31: 

  • 5405 Hunter)/S.5655 Ryan – Compliance with the statutory requirement of a maximum 5% retainage in construction contracts. PRIORITY SUPPORT
        • NYECA submitted a letter of support to the Governor.
      • 2747-A Bronson/S.2536-A Jackson – Inclusion of certain off-site custom fabrication as public work for the purposes of payment of prevailing wage. PRIORITY OPPOSE
        • NYECA has prepared an opposition letter to the Governor.
      • 8429-B Bronson/S.7950-A Bailey – Relates to the establishment of a fraud assessment commission, an assessment for workers’ compensation fraud investigations and the workers’ compensation fraud investigation fund. OPPOSE
        • NYECA submitted a letter of opposition to the Governor.
      • 7235 Bichotte Hermelyn/S.6315 Sanders – Establishes expanded construction mentorship opportunities for small and minority and women-owned business enterprises. NEUTRAL/SUPPORT
      • 4727 Bronson/S.50 Comrie – Relates to paid family leave benefits OPPOSE
      • 6063 Lunsford/S.4423 Hoylman-Sigal – Provides for the types of damages that may be awarded to the persons for whose benefit an action for wrongful death is brought. OPPOSE

 

If you have any questions or would like additional information on any New York State or New York City legislative matter, including copies of any legislation or regulations mentioned in this article, please contact Peter Rescigno or NYECA lobbyist Perry Ochacher at (914) 319-9173.

All of us at Willett Public Affairs wish NYECA members, their families and NYECA staff a joyous and fun holiday season!