From Washington, Faso Targets New York's Scaffold Law

U.S. Rep. John Faso, a former state Assembly minority leader, unveiled on Tuesday federal legislation that would pre-empt the controversial state Scaffold Law for construction projects that use federal money.The Scaffold Law, installed in 1885, puts absolute legal blame for workers' gravity-related injuries on contractors and property owners when it is found that proper safety measures weren't in place, the Republican's bill would require that a "comparative negligence" standard be applied, allowing courts to consider if workers were even partially at fault if injured in an accident, such as falling from a ladder.