In 2019, the Connecticut House of Representatives passed a bill to raise Connecticut’s Homestead Exemption. That year, the state Senate refused to act on it.

The Homestead Exemption is a law that prevents unsecured creditors from attaching, or foreclosing on, a family’s principal residence due to unpaid medical bills or credit card debts. Every state has some version of this law. Rhode Island and Massachusetts both provide a $500,000 exemption on the value of a family’s home.

Connecticut has lagged far behind almost all other states offering only a $75,000 exemption for a family’s home. Despite soaring home prices in our state, this amount has not been raised in decades.

This year, sponsored by Groton Rep. Chris Conley, another bill to raise the Connecticut homestead exemption to $250,000 passed the House. This session, the bill passed the House unanimously!

The bill now again advances to the Senate. Connecticut residents should call their senators to make sure the bill passes this year. Support is broad and bipartisan, but effort is needed to ensure its passage.

The time has come for Connecticut to pass this legislation. No family should become homeless in our state because one family member got sick.

Daryl Justin Finizio

New London

Editor's note: The author is the former mayor of New London.