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Paterson signs bills dealing with crane safety, tax services
The law, effective Nov. 1, makes altering licensing exams a felony. It also imposes fines of up to $5,000 for inspectors who falsify reports and permanently revokes their licenses.
Since March, crane accidents have killed at least nine people in New York City. Paterson said that has raised "understandable concerns about the safety of building sites," and the measure is intended to signal "zero tolerance" for wrongdoing with crane inspections.
In their memo, sponsors including Assemblyman Jonathan Bing, a Manhattan Democrat, said the crane collapse March 15 in the city killed six workers and a visitor and crushed a five-story building a block away, and they called for reform of the inspection system.
"A few days after this tragedy, New Yorkers were shocked to hear of the arrest of a Department of Buildings inspector who allegedly falsified records claiming that he had inspected the site on March 4 and found the crane to be safe," the memo said. "In June 2008, a high-ranking Department of Buildings employee was charged with illegally assisting crane operators with their licensing examinations."
Other bills Paterson signed Wednesday:
• Create a consumer bill of rights with tax preparers, requiring them to disclose terms and costs of refund-anticipation loans, or so-called "instant refunds." It was modeled after New York City's law.
• Establish a new felony for luring a child under age 17 for the purposes of committing another crime, among them compelling prostitution or promoting a sexual performance by a child.
• Prohibit misdemeanor sex offenders from getting licensed as a real estate broker or salesman.
• Provide new registration options for biological parents to consent to the receipt, by a child given up for adoption, of their identifying information.
• Authorize advances to make loans to farmers for building or improving farmworker housing.