Legislative Package Offers Help to Property Owners Still Recovering from Storm

Written by Tom Johnson, NJ Spotlight

After months of hearings on how to deal with problems posed by Hurricane Sandy, lawmakers Thursday advanced a package of bills designed to help homeowners and others cope with rebuilding efforts.

The Senate Environment and Energy Committee approved bills ranging from a measure (S-2976) to help safeguard homeowners who want to elevate their homes from contractors not qualified to do the job, to legislation (S-2081) aimed at making sure mold hazards are removed safely -- based on the best industrial standards and federal environmental regulations – from residential structures.

Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex), chairman of the committee, said the bills would be supplemented by more legislation in coming weeks to address problems posed by the superstorm, which struck the state a year ago in late October.

His committee and the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee held a series of hearings up and down the state over the past several months, listening to repeated complaints from residents and business owners about their inability to obtain coverage from their insurers, loans from banks, and answers from bureaucrats at both the state and federal levels on how to proceed with rebuilding efforts.

The action Thursday by the Senate indicates the Legislature wants to play a more prominent role in how New Jersey recovers from the storm, and potentially with bipartisan support.

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