Sen. Champagne Applauds Senate Passage of Bipartisan Crumbling Foundation Relief Bill

Connecticut Senate approves final passage of crumbling foundation relief with Crumbling Foundations Caucus, local legislator support

State Senator Dan Champagne (R-Vernon), member of the legislature’s Planning and Development Committee and co-chair of the Crumbling Foundations Caucus joined committee chairman State Sen. Steve Cassano (D-Manchester) and caucus co-chairs  State Sen. Saud Anwar, State Rep. Tom Delnicki (R-South Windsor) and State Rep. Jaime Foster (D-East Windsor, Ellington) in applauding the Senate’s final passage of House Bill 6646, “An Act Concerning Crumbling Concrete Foundations” legislation aiming to protect homeowners negatively impacted in recent years by crumbling concrete in their homes’ foundations. The legislation, developed by the bipartisan Crumbling Foundations Caucus, was previously passed by the House; with its passage, it proceeds to the Governor’s desk for signing.

“This has been a disaster for our community and it’s something that’s affected thousands of people, beyond homeowners. Businesses, apartment complexes, senior housing and school buildings have all been negatively impacted,” said Sen. Champagne. “For municipalities, it’s a significant loss of tax revenue that’s needed to operate. I’m proud to have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address this problem and get these families back to where they belong. This bill is a prime example of collaboration to do what’s right for the people that have entrusted us as their voice. I look forward to the Governor’s signature to get it across the finish line,” he said.

“Knowing the extreme hardships suffered by so many with crumbling foundations, I’m proud to vote in support of this legislation to provide them with further support,” said Sen. Anwar. “By removing the cap on reassessment, we can provide them with accurate information about their homes, supporting finances as well; by establishing standards for quarries and building tests, we take further steps to prevent such an issue from arising again in the future. With the pain and anguish faced by those struggling with issues in their homes, purchases they sunk their lives into and planned to live for decades, we must do all we can to limit further struggles.”

“This is great news for people that are victims of the crumbling foundation issue. Our work and our commitment to help people put both their lives and their homes back together continues. I’d like to thank the Senate for passing this bill out for the governor to sign,” said Rep. Delnicki.

“Crumbling foundations are a huge threat to our local property values and tax assessments. Most importantly, however, many households with crumbling foundations had to dip into their life savings or have diminished equity in order to address the issue. HB 6646 not only provides relief to those homeowners, it also includes provisions that will ensure that crumbling foundations will not be an issue in our community or state again, ” said Rep. Foster.

“What has been most pleasing to see is the way that Senators and Representatives from throughout the entire state have committed to funding this program to help people in our region,” said Sen. Cassano. “Some folks could have looked the other way, but people really came together. The fact that Connecticut is helping people in need, when everything they own is in jeopardy, is impressive.”

House Bill 6646 takes several steps to protect homeowners struggling with crumbling concrete foundations, most notably removing a five-year cap on reassessing properties, further establishing a quarry standard as well as testing requirements for buildings. By establishing standards for quarries and building tests, such an issue is less likely to arise in the future. The bill further includes language explicitly stating homes must be included in revaluation, allocates $175,000 to a study on nonresidential buildings and extends Freedom of Information protections to those reporting information to the Department of Consumer Protections.

The Crumbling Foundation Caucus has worked for years to combat crumbling foundations, which were caused by homes built with concrete containing the mineral pyrrhotite. That mineral, over time, caused the degradation of many structures’ foundations, requiring expensive fixes or abandonments of family homes.