House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020 Regular Session

Posted:	October 23, 2019 02:22 PM
From:	Representative Michael J. Driscoll
To:	All House members
Subject:	Bonding of Contractors on Projects with Adjoining Properties

Earlier this year, a 94-year-old Philadelphia grandmother with dementia had to escape from her home in her wheelchair because the contractor performing work on the adjoining property caused a structural collapse. Within days, the rowhome she shared with her late husband and family for decades was gone. Both houses had to be demolished because the damage the contractor caused posed a risk to the public. In order to prevent other families from having to face this same hardship, my legislation will require a contractor to purchase a surety bond of $500,000 which would be solely used to cover the costs of any damages incurred during construction to a residential adjoining property, such as a rowhome. A contractor must show proof of bonding to the municipality before any permits could be issued. I ask that you support this legislation and join me in helping protect Pennsylvania families from having to face undue hardships when accidents happen due to the neighbor’s construction work.
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Introduced as HB2140