The Connecticut House of Representatives has approved a $12 annual surcharge on the insurance policies of every residential homeowner in the state. The bill passed by a bipartisan vote of 97 to 42 during a rare weekend session on Saturday.
Lawmakers opposed to the bill called it an unfair tax on Connecticut homeowners not affected by the problem.
Proponents include Democratic Representative Jeffrey Currey of East Hartford who said that homeowners will “be able to see that there is this available funding stream, so that we are able to provide as much relief as possible so that homeowners aren’t essentially paying for their house twice.”
State officials say more than 30,000 homes built between the early 1980s and about 2011 with concrete from a quarry in eastern Connecticut might be affected.
Currey said that the surcharge will also help preserve Connecticut real estate values and provide financial assistance to homeowners in other parts of the state. “It’s also going to help deal with home health containment issues such as lead and radon throughout the state, as well as provide relief for homes that are literally sinking in a neighborhood or two in New Haven.”
The bill now awaits action in the Senate, with only three days left in the state’s legislative session that ends on Wednesday.
