PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona pool building contractors appeared Tuesday to have had their concerns heard about legislation that would repeal a 2002 law designed to protect homeowners from fly-by-night pool contractors.
House Commerce Committee Chairman Jeff Weninger removed the proposal from consideration, saying he was working with the sponsor of Senate Bill 1116 to make changes addressing the contractors’ concerns. Weninger declined to say if that part of the bill will be completely withdrawn.
The association representing pool builders wants to keep the law requiring payment schedules for pool construction. It passed 15 years ago after fly-by-night pool contractors ripped off homeowners across metro Phoenix by taking large deposits and never completing the work.
Presidential Pools President Tim Murphy was among the industry members who lobbied for the 2002 law to protect legitimate pool contractors and consumers. The provision requires payments at stages of construction to limit the harm to consumers from contractors who do not complete work.
“We love the law,” Murphy said in a recent interview. “If they were to repeal this law, I’ll telling you right now, there’s going to be a lot of contractors that are going to go out there and kill the consumer. It happened before, history will repeat itself.”
The proposal backed by the state Registrar of Contractors agency contains two other major provisions that could adversely affect consumers. Gov. Doug Ducey has charged his agencies with eliminating “unneeded regulations.”
It removes a requirement that remodeling and repair contractors’ licenses be suspended if they don’t have workers’ compensation insurance. It also shields the email and home addresses of those small contractors from the public unless state regulators believe disclosure is needed.
Many small contractors work from their homes, meaning it would be difficult for consumers who needed to find contractors that fail to complete a job to easily track them down.
Spokesman Jim Knupp said the agency did not ask for Tuesday’s delay. He has said the rules proposed for repeal are unneeded and getting rid of them will not hurt consumers.
The pool contractor and workers compensation insurance laws were pushed by former state Sen. Barbara Leff, a Paradise Valley Republican who said she does not understand why they are being repealed because they provide needed consumer protections.
She also objects to shielding the addresses of contractors.
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This story has been corrected to show the bill is being heard by the House Commerce Committee, not the Government Committee.
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