The New York City Council is still considering an amendment to a long-standing requirement in the City Charter. The proposed legislation would eliminate the current requirement that the commissioner of the Department of Buildings (DOB) be a licensed professional engineer or a registered architect. On May 19, 2008, the Met Section sent a letter to the New York City Council listing several points in opposition to that bill, which is designated as Intro. 775. Recently, an amended version of the draft bill has been submitted to the City Council. The amended bill, Intro. 775A, requires that either the commissioner or the first deputy commissioner to be a licensed engineer or architect.

By:
Carol J. Patterson, Esq., Partner, Zetlin & De Chiara LLP
Tara B. Mulrooney, Esq., Senior Associate, Zetlin & De Chiara LLP

Eye On Albany

While the press often focuses on gridlock in Albany, engineers should be aware that a number of the bills introduced in the New York State Legislature this year could have a significant impact on the practice of engineering. This article summarizes the most noteworthy.

By Carol J. Patterson, Esq. and Tara B. Mulrooney, Esq.

The Met Section has proposed to work with other ASCE sections in our region to institute a Legislative Fellowship Program (the “Program”) with the main objective of providing technical assistance to the New York State Legislature. The Program, which is modeled after the highly successful Congressional Fellowship Program and Legislative Fellowship Program of the Boston Society of Engineers, is a means for members of the New York State Assembly and Senate to gain high level technical assistance in addressing the complex issues involved in maintaining and investing in New York State’s infrastructure.

Andrew Herrmann, P.E., F.ASCE testified on behalf of ASCE before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in Washington D.C. on September 5, 2007. The testimony was in support of the National Highway System Bridge Reconstruction Initiative which would provide dedicated funding to States to repair, rehabilitate, and replace structurally deficient bridges on the National Highway System. The four components of this initiative provide for improving bridge inspection requirements, providing dedicated funding for structurally deficient NHS bridges, distributing funds based on public safety and need, and establishing a bridge reconstruction trust fund. ASCE came out strongly in favor of increasing the qualifications of Bridge Inspectors above the minimums established by the NBIS regulations. A full copy of the written testimony is provided on the ASCE website.