Joint Committee Hears Crumbling Concrete Relief Bill Backed by Dual Industry Surcharge

BOSTON — June 22, 2026 — Massachusetts lawmakers heard emotional testimony and sharp industry pushback on a bill to create a state fund helping homeowners whose foundations are crumbling due to pyrotite contamination. The Joint Committee on Financial Services, co-chaired by Senator Paul R. Feeney and Representative James M. Murphy, heard testimony June 22 on S-3091, sponsored by Senator Peter Durant, which would generate an estimated $30 million annually through a $6 per-policy fee on homeowner insurance and a $6-per-cubic-yard concrete surcharge, with funds administered by the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation. Affected homeowners from 52 confirmed municipalities in six counties described replacement costs from $150,000 to more than $325,000, with no insurance coverage and no legal recourse; Russell Dupiere of Longmeadow said he borrowed $200,000 from his retired parents and still owes nearly the full amount a decade later. Craig Dauphiné of the Massachusetts Concrete and Aggregate Producers Association supported a homeowner fund but opposed the concrete surcharge, arguing his industry already spends $3 million annually on required pyrotite testing and that the charge could drive contractors to out-of-state suppliers not subject to it. Former committee chair Guy Glotus testified that Connecticut's model — a $12 homeowner insurance surcharge with no concrete component — has remediated more than 1,200 foundations and argued the same structure could work in Massachusetts without penalizing the concrete industry.