Congressman Cohen Speaks Out Against H.R. 3808 and the Diminishment of Workers’ Protections
Says that the legislation has nothing to do with expanding infrastructure or bolstering our economy
WASHINGTON - At a House Judiciary Committee Hearing today, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) spoke out against H.R. 3808, the Infrastructure Expansion Act, for its attacks on the protections of construction workers. He released the following statement:
"New York State's ‘scaffold law' is a more-than-century-old statute enacted to protect workers involved in construction projects from injury. H.R. 3808, the so-called Infrastructure Expansion Act, attempts to impose a one-size-fits-all standard that ignores local conditions and defeats the whole point of having a federal system where states are responsible for many of the health and safety laws that affect workers, precisely because conditions may vary from state to state.
"This bill would serve to enrich wealthy developers and builders in New York State, like the Trump family, by stealing life-saving protections from middle class construction workers. It sets a dangerous precedent for future federal interference in the considered views of state lawmakers. As recent injuries demonstrate, there is ample reason why the New York legislature would want to keep the scaffold law to protect their citizens. New York is where they build big buildings on broad shoulders and they don't want those people's broad shoulders to fall down on their rears, and we shouldn't allow it. We need to protect our safety nets."
H.R. 3808 would overrule a New York State law that holds construction developers liable for injury. This is to ensure that these companies exert the maximum effort in their attempts to provide a safe workplace for their employees. This bill would encroach on state sovereignty and set a dangerous precedent for future federal intrusion on state laws. Click here to watch Congressman Cohen's full remarks.