"The next two bills before me today provide the Department of Buildings with greatly enhanced oversight and enforcement powers which will improve the safety of New Yorkers and construction workers.

"Introductory Number 878-A, sponsored by Council Members Comrie, Fidler, Mark-Viverito, Brewer, Gonzalez, James, Nelson, Palma, Recchia, Seabrook, Vann, Gerson, de Blasio, Vacca, White, Garodnick, Gennaro, Jackson, Eugene, Weprin and Sears requires contractors carrying out major construction, demolition and concrete work to get a safety registration number from the Department of Buildings in order to perform work in the City. 

"This tool will give the Department an unprecedented ability to track contractors across construction sites and get a true picture of who has the best safety records, and who must be held accountable for unsafe jobs that endanger workers and the public.  Six months after this registration requirement takes effect, the Department will submit to the Council recommendations for the establishment of objective criteria which the Department can use to suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a safety registration number.

"Introductory Number 760-A, sponsored by Council Members Lappin, Brewer, Felder, Gentile, James, Liu, Palma, Stewart, Gerson, Barron, Vacca, White, Garodnick, Gennaro, Jackson, Eugene, Weprin, Sears and Reyna enables the Department to assign a safety compliance officer to monitor construction sites that have received immediately hazardous violations that adversely effect public safety.  Each safety compliance officer will be selected by the Department and their monitorship can last for no longer then ninety days.  Construction site owners will be responsible for reimbursing the Department for all costs associated with the monitorship.

"Last June, along with Speaker Quinn, Buildings Commissioner LiMandri, and leaders in the construction industry, I announced a twelve-point legislative package to dramatically increase safety on construction sites across the five boroughs.  The signing of these two critical bills completes that important agenda.

"I would like to thank Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler, his Chief of Staff and my Special Advisor Cas Holloway, Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri and his staff along with Law Department Senior Counsel Eduardo Crosa for their work on these bills.  Furthermore, I would like to thank our partners in industry and labor, including Lou Coletti, Gary LaBarbera and Steven Spinola, without whom this landmark legislation would not have been possible.  Finally, I would like to thank Speaker Quinn, Chair Dilan and the sponsors of this legislation."