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Governor's buy-American proposal receiving praise from North Country trades and labor council

Posted 1/16/17

The president of the Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties Central Trades and Labor Council is praising a governor’s proposal to require buy-American preference for state procurements over …

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Governor's buy-American proposal receiving praise from North Country trades and labor council

Posted

The president of the Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties Central Trades and Labor Council is praising a governor’s proposal to require buy-American preference for state procurements over $100,000.

“Governor Cuomo not only knows that American workers make the best products, but also that buying these products supports those workers and grows our economy,” union President Ron McDougall said in a prepared statement. “This proposal isn't just paying lip service, but instead is something tangible that puts our local, homegrown companies first and will help grow the economy right here in New York. We support the governor's initiative to grow the manufacturing sector and support the men and women who work in it across our great state and country.”

McDougall is also the Village of Gouverneur mayor.

Each year, New York State spends billions of dollars on the procurement of goods and services, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. However, existing regulations place little emphasis on buying U.S.-made products. Only procurements of structural steel, reinforcing steel and other major steel on construction contracts greater than $100,000 are subject to existing buy-American provisions.

“With manufacturing representing one in every nine Upstate jobs and over 5 percent of the state’s total workforce, as well as close to $70 billion in goods being manufactured here each year, New York has been missing a critical opportunity to strengthen a key industry sector,” Cuomo’s office said in a news release.

Provisions of Cuomo’s proposal include:

• Expanding the current standard to include all goods and products, as well as all procurements—not just construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, maintenance or improvement of public works;

• Clarifying that preference should be given to goods and products that are substantially produced or made in whole in the United States, its territories or possessions

To qualify as “American-made” under the governor’s proposal, end manufacturing processes should take place in the United States and more than 60 percent of the components of the manufactured good should be of domestic origin. Exceptions to this requirement include:

• If the specified goods or products are not manufactured or produced in the United States in the quantities required by the state entity or cannot be manufactured or produced in the United States within the entity’s specific timeframe;

• If obtaining American-made products would significantly increase the cost of the contract; and

• If the best interests of the state would be served by exempting the procurement from the preference based upon an immediate or emergency need existing for the item or service; or a need to protect the health, safety, or welfare of the public