Bill Requiring Documentation Of Concrete Foundations Headed For Senate

HARTFORD — A bill requiring the documentation of when a concrete foundation is installed is on its way to the Senate after having passed the House late Friday in a 139-4 vote.

The legislation, introduced by the planning and development committee, would mandate that town building officials document the individual or company that supplied the concrete and the name of the individual or company that installed all concrete foundations installed on or after Oct. 1, 2016.

It also permits the owners of buildings with crumbling concrete foundations to request a revaluation of their home after getting written confirmation from a licensed structural engineer that their foundation is deteriorating. In addition, the bill would require the Department of Consumer Protection to report the possible causes of failing concrete to the General Assembly no later than Jan. 1, 2017.

“It was pretty overwhelming support. There were a few negative votes, but not many,” Rep Bill Aman, ranking planning and development committee member, said Monday.

Aman said he is optimistic the bill will pass in the Senate.

“I think it’s going to be passed, I wouldn’t be surprised if it made the consent calendar,” Aman said. Bills on the consent calendar are usually passed without debate on the floor.

“Cathy Osten, the chair of planning and development committee, and Sen. Tony Guglielmo, who represents a couple towns in the area where this is a problem, are both very much in favor of the bill. Both of them, like me, even wish it could have gone farther,” Aman said.

Said Osten, “I haven’t heard a lot of opposition to it [in the Senate] and I think it’ll have bipartisan support and it’ll give us the means to provide some support to the homeowners who are experiencing the demise of their foundation.”

Aman said the bill helps prevent the problem of crumbling foundations in the future, but also helps homeowners with the issue now.

“It does help the current people in that they will be able to go into their town hall and get their assessments on their homes reduced because of the problems with their foundations,” Aman said “They can bring that to the assessor and they must re-look at that and assess the value. Some towns are already doing that in some form or another.”

Osten said reevaluations would provide some financial relief for homeowners.

“That’s one of the most important pieces left in the bill that would provide real relief to the people. So if their home is no longer valued at $300,000 … why would we have them paying property taxes on something that is no longer valued at that?” Osten said.

Related legislation, House Bill 5522, is on the House calendar for consideration Monday. That bill would change the definition of collapse in insurance policies to cover structural damage such as the cracking that is visible when a foundation begins the fail.

The bill, which narrowly passed in the real estate and insurance committee in a 10-9 vote, is listed on the House calendar for action before the May 4 legislative deadline. Introduced by Rep. Robert Megna, D- New Haven, the bill would require insurance companies who cover collapse to include the structural impairment of foundations.

Megna did not return calls regarding the bill’s chances on the house floor.