by Dan Lampariello,CBS13I-TeamThu, June 13, 2024 at 3:24 PM
Updated Thu, June 13, 2024 at 7:39 PM
AUGUSTA (WGME) — Supporters of legislation aimed at regulating home contractors in Maine to better protect consumer say they plan to resubmit it next session after the latest attempt died on the appropriations table.
The latest bill, LD 1929, passed both chambers during the last legislative session but ultimately went nowhere after lawmakers failed to fund it.
“We’re really encouraged at this point,” said Mya Bogh, President of Great Northern Builders. “It’s the furthest we’ve ever come.”
The proposal would have required a license for any contractor working on a job costing more than $15,000. A licensing board would also be set up to oversee the new requirements like insurance coverage and certain education standards.
Maine already requires a license for plumbers, electricians, certain technicians that work on HVAC and a long list of other professions.
However, efforts to regulate general contractors have been shot down consistently by the legislature over the last decade. That makes Maine one of just 15 states to not have any licensing or registration requirements for contractors.
“I’ve heard someone compare our industry in Maine to the wild west and unfortunately that’s true,” Bogh said. “I’m literally begging for this legislation. I’ve been in the industry for 18 years and literally every week we hear multiple stories from homeowners who have been stolen from or lied to or they’ve had poor construction.”
For years, the CBS13 I-Teamhas been highlighting similar issues from consumers across the state.
“The foundation of the house was poured wrong and was deficient,” homeowner AndrewCulpovich told us in February. “This wall had to be torn out after it was done because it wasn’t constructed correctly. It wasn’t constructed up to code and you could literally push on the wall and the entire frame would shake.”
According to the Office of the Maine Attorney General, since 2018 the agency has received nearly 4,000 complaints related to contractor fraud with a total of $12,000,000 in losses.
While the AG’s Office, which offers a voluntary mediation program, has been able to recoup some money for consumers many cases don’t result in restitution.
Making things even harder is that law enforcement often categorizes the issue as a civil matter rather than criminal so victims have little recourse other than pursuing a court case on their own.
“The focus is we got it further than it ever has before and that means there’s momentum,” said the bill’s sponsor Rep. Tiffany Roberts (D – S. Berwick).
Roberts says she plans to resubmit the legislation in some form before the next legislative session in January.
“Maybe with some minor changes but the difference now is that we’re starting from the beginning with a full fleshed out bill that’s going to have a full public hearing,” Rep. Roberts said. “The awareness has increased and people are hearing form their constituents on a bipartisan basis and on all income levels that this is affecting me. People are hearing from the industry on a bipartisan basis that we need this.”
There remains some opposition to the proposal however, including concerns about the impact it could have on small handymen services.
“My concern is the expense to them and just the burden on them,” Rep.Katrina Smith ( R-Palermo) said during a workshop on the bill earlier this year.
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Issues supporters say they hope to find some middle ground on.
“I think the main point is getting started,” Bogh said. “Getting something going something that is reasonable for homeowners and for contractors and we can build from there.”
