ABC

For years elected officials in Albany have been swayed by special-interest campaign contributions, leading to policies that drive up costs. The past few years have been especially egregious, from project labor agreements, or PLAs, to an expansion of prevailing wage mandates to private construction and the outdated and extremely expensive Scaffold Law. These decisions have made construction in New York the most expensive in the nation.

“New York’s affordability crisis is being driven by outdated mandates and anti-competitive policies that unnecessarily inflate construction costs, burden taxpayers, and put housing, schools, and infrastructure out of reach for working families, said Brian Sampson, President of the Empire State Chapter of ABC. "We call on the Governor and Legislature to act now. They need to reform prevailing wage laws, eliminate costly project labor agreements and repeal the Scaffold Law so we can lower costs, restore fairness, and deliver real affordability for every New Yorker.”

The Empire State Chapter released it’s 2026 Affordability Agenda that can be viewed here. ABC is calling on the Governor and Legislature to address the changes needed to drive down the cost of construction and make New York more affordable for all.

In Governor Hochul's 2026 State of the State, she continues to acknowledge that the growing affordability crisis won’t fix itself but didn’t address the systemic changes necessary to address this ongoing crisis. New York’s extreme construction costs, which directly raise taxes and make basic, vital projects like schools, hospitals, housing and renewable energy systems far more expensive. New York ranks second to last in the nation for competitiveness and a healthy construction environment with a job growth rate of -2.1% (2024 Construction Scorecard).