| 4 | 11 | | |
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| 5 | 12 | | AN ACT ESTABLISHING UNIFORM PROCEDURES REGARDING NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR AND HOME IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTOR AND SALESMAN-RELATED COMPLAINTS. |
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| 6 | 13 | | |
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| 7 | 14 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: |
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| 8 | 15 | | |
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| 9 | 16 | | Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) For purposes of this section: (1) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Consumer Protection or the commissioner's duly authorized representative, and (2) "department" means the Department of Consumer Protection. |
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| 10 | 17 | | |
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| 11 | 18 | | (b) Any person may file a written complaint with the department concerning the work or practices of a person: (1) Registered as a new home construction contractor pursuant to chapter 399a of the general statutes, (2) registered as a home improvement contractor or salesman pursuant to chapter 400 of the general statutes, or (3) who is not registered pursuant to said chapters but has performed work or acted in a manner that requires registration with the department pursuant to said chapters. |
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| 12 | 19 | | |
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| 13 | 20 | | (c) The commissioner shall study measures to improve the process the department utilizes for accepting, processing and reporting to the public complaints the department receives under subsection (b) of this section. Such measures may include (1) creating subsets of closed complaints related to serious violations of law or regulations or patterns of other complaints against a contractor or individual, (2) determining which subsets of closed complaints are made available to the public via the department's Internet web site, (3) determining how long complaints remain posted and available to the public via the department's Internet web site, (4) creating improved notices or disclosures to the public on how to search for contractors and interpret complaints posted on the department's Internet web site, (5) adding information to the department's complaint database to better explain to the public complaints received by the department, responses from contractors to such complaints and resolutions of such complaints, and (6) any other changes to the department's complaint handling and disclosure procedures deemed appropriate by the commissioner. |
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| 14 | 21 | | |
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| 15 | 22 | | (d) Not later than December 31, 2010, the commissioner shall submit a report on the department's findings and progress regarding measures described in subsection (c) of this section to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to consumer protection, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. |
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| 16 | 23 | | |
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