Annual Report 2010

Advocacy

The ability of the New York Building Congress to help shape and influence debate on issues of concern to the industry has increased rapidly over the years. While its leaders still rely on standard techniques, such as lobbying, public testimony, and media outreach, the organization also has embraced the power of new media and research as a means of communicating quickly and persuasively to a wide range of industry members and policy makers.

Given recent declines in private sector building, government construction has helped keep the industry afloat; accounting for fully 60 percent of all spending in New York City in 2009. An important question, however, is whether recent public sector spending levels are sustainable in view of growing deficits in City and State government and multi-billion dollar shortfalls in most major capital programs.

For this reason, the Building Congress advocacy agenda is largely focused at present on preserving capital programs and advocating additional sources of revenue for infrastructure projects. A few highlights follow.

New York State
The New York Building Congress has played a lead role in pressing the New York State Legislature to enact a budget in order to unlock desperately needed infrastructure funds. The Building Congress, which was one of the first organizations to voice support for Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch's budget plan, went on to advocate a ban on political contributions until a budget was passed. The Building Congress also joined a statewide coalition of industry groups trying to force an end to Governor David Paterson's freeze on payments to contractors on major highway projects.

New York City
Aided by research conducted on its behalf, the Building Congress successfully lobbied the Bloomberg administration and the City Council to fund New York's capital program at a level that would maintain the City's core infrastructure and avoid the disinvestment that plagued the City during past financial crises. In the end, the Building Congress endorsed the Mayor's four-year, $30 billion plan while expressing concern about future attempts to revise spending downward.

Federal Funding
The Building Congress continues to monitor the use of allocated federal stimulus funding while calling on the State government, in particular, to expedite the process. In addition, the Building Congress is supporting the New York Congressional delegation's efforts to secure passage of a six-year $450 billion national transportation spending bill which, if approved, would help fund a series of metropolitan region road and transit projects, including a new Moynihan Station and the Trans- Hudson Express Tunnel.

Stalled Projects
Hundreds of construction projects throughout the five boroughs are currently stalled as a direct result of the economic downturn. The Building Congress, believing that a resuscitation of these projects would help stimulate the economy and create new jobs, has offered a number of suggestions for jump-starting these projects.

Public/Private Partnerships
With government authorities and agencies starved for revenue to support critical projects, all potential new funding sources must be examined. One area with untapped potential is the use of public/private partnerships. The Building Congress has been a vocal proponent of the Port Authority's outreach to potential partners in the reconstruction of the Goethals Bridge. The Building Congress will continue to monitor progress.