New York Building Congress unveils 2026 Policy Agenda at annual membership meeting

Manhattan, NY The New York Building Congress released its 2026 Policy Agenda at its annual membership meeting, outlining a comprehensive roadmap to address New York’s most pressing challenges in housing production, infrastructure investment, energy reliability, workforce development, and climate resilience. The Building Congress convened elected officials – including representatives from mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, city council leadership, industry executives, policymakers, and NYBC members, and featured keynote remarks from New York city council speaker Julie Menin, who addressed the future of New York’s built environment. Deputy mayor for housing & planning Leila Bozorg delivered welcome remarks that included administration priorities.

As state leaders prepare for the upcoming budget discussions, and as federal infrastructure funding approaches a critical transition, the Building Congress’ 2026 Policy Agenda emphasizes the need for sustained investment, streamlined permitting and project approvals, regulatory certainty, and coordinated action across all levels of government.

Against the backdrop of increasing federal uncertainty around major infrastructure investments, the wide-ranging agenda also advances a new proposal to insulate essential projects from partisan gridlock. Chief among them is the creation of a National Infrastructure Reserve Board (NIRB) — a nonpartisan entity modeled on the Federal Reserve that would provide stable, long-term funding for state-of-good-repair and replacement needs across the nation’s infrastructure systems. The proposal is intended to prevent critical projects from being repeatedly stalled by political fights, an issue underscored by recent challenges facing major Northeast Corridor investments such as the Gateway Program.

“As New York looks ahead to a consequential election year, our agenda outlines a clear path forward to build a better city, state and country,” said Carlo Scissura, Esq., president and CEO of the New York Building Congress. “It focuses on the policies and investments needed to provide certainty to our industry amid federal funding questions, to keep things running smoothly, keep our workforce robust and safe, and ensure New York, in particular, continues to grow and build for the future. We look forward to working with our partners in government to keep the building and construction industries thriving!”

In support of that work, the Building Congress recently opened its first-ever office in Albany, strengthening its ability to engage with state policymakers on a regular basis and advance the agenda’s priorities throughout the legislative and budget processes.

Key 2026 Building Congress Priorities Include:

Federal Infrastructure Funding & Stability: Securing a strong federal infrastructure bill through a Surface Transportation Reauthorization, while advancing new mechanisms — including the proposed National Infrastructure Reserve Board.

Housing Production & Land Use Reform: Expanding and improving the state’s 485-x housing tax abatement program, progressing the NYC Department of City Planning’s “Manhattan Plan” to build over 100,000 new homes in the borough, advancing zoning reforms, and streamlining environmental review processes such as SEQRA to accelerate housing production at the scale New York needs.

Workforce Capacity for Infrastructure Delivery: Supporting targeted immigration tools, including a proposed H-1B visa exemption for government-funded infrastructure projects, to address labor shortages and ensure the workforce capacity needed to deliver complex projects.

Energy Reliability & Innovation: Supporting Governor Hochul’s proposal to advance new nuclear energy development alongside grid upgrades and renewable deployment to meet growing energy demand and maintain system reliability.

Major Transit Investments: Advancing transformative transportation projects including the Interborough Express (IBX), QueensLink, and the Second Avenue Subway, while sustaining robust capital budgets for agencies such as the MTA and Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.