In this issue ...

• Potential Litigation Reforms Proposed by Housing & Construction Groups
• WCB Revises Amendments to Medical Fee Schedules
• NYIA Meets with NYC Council on Surveillance Pricing Bill
• New York City Junk Fee Regulation Updates
• Court Rules Climate Superfund Act is Preempted by Federal Law

Potential Litigation Reforms Proposed by Housing & Construction Groups

The New York Housing Conference and Gotham Government Relations have shared their draft priority proposals for next year. Both focus on fraud and changes to the litigation environment, including the Scaffold Law. These groups have asked NYIA for feedback. Please contact Staci Steinfeld at ssteinfeld@nyia.org if you have comments on these proposals.

WCB Revises Amendments to Medical Fee Schedules

The Workers Compensation Board (WCB) has proposed revised amendments to the medical fee schedules. As a reminder, NYIA previously submitted a comment letter on the originally proposed amendments. The WCB has responded to most of NYIA's comments in the Assessment of Public Comments. Perhaps most notably, the WCB declined to address any comments on the impact to the no-fault system and directed any further questions or comments to DFS.

The revised amendments were published in the September 2 edition of the state register. Comments on the revised amendments can be submitted to regulations@wcb.ny.gov until October 17, 2026. If you would like NYIA to submit comments on your behalf, please contact Staci at ssteinfeld@nyia.org by October 7, 2026.

NYIA Meets with NYC Council on Surveillance Pricing Bill

This week, NYIA met with staff from New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin’s office. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss adding language to the bill, Int 0891-2026, to exempt insurance entities’ service providers. The speaker’s staff seemed willing to consider the language we proposed and indicated that it was their intention to exclude insurance entities from the legislation, as insurance products are already excluded in the current language.

New York City Junk Fee Regulation Updates

NYIA is also weighing in with the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) on the proposed junk fee regulation. We have requested that language be included to exclude insurance entities. We are coordinating with the national trade organizations and will keep members apprised of any developments.

Court Rules Climate Superfund Act is Preempted by Federal Law

On Monday, the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York struck down the climate superfund act. The law was designed to impose compensatory fines on entities that engage in the trade or business of extracting fossil fuel or refining crude oil. NYIA along with the broader business community urged the Governor to veto the legislation in 2024 which was challenged by Republican-led states, the Trump administration and business groups. The court’s ruling determined that the state was preempted by federal law.