A towing working group’s monthslong effort to address concerns with the state’s towing laws has culminated in a bill that towing companies don’t support and a consumer advocate on the committee says doesn’t address the problems most harmful to vehicle owners.

Connecticut lawmakers on Monday heard public testimony on House Bill 5465, which would allow towed vehicles to be sold after 30 days, regardless of value. It would also require the state Department of Motor Vehicles to create an online portal with information on all the towed vehicles.

Last session, the legislature passed a sweeping reform of Connecticut’s towing laws and established a DMV working group to suggest further changes to the law. That group completed its recommendations in February. Last year’s broad changes to towing law came after more than a year of reporting from The Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica on how the state’s towing laws valued towing companies at the expense of vehicle owners.

Connecticut’s law previously allowed tow companies to begin the process to sell vehicles after just 15 days. CT Mirror and ProPublica found that it was one of the shortest windows in the nation, and that the law has particularly impacted people with low incomes.

Reporters spoke with people who said towing companies required them to pay in cash or wouldn’t allow them to get personal belongings out of their vehicles. Many couldn’t afford to get their towed vehicles back and lost transportation or jobs because of it.

Previously, the sales process for vehicles valued at $1,500 or less could begin after 15 days, or 45 days for more expensive vehicles. Last year’s towing reform law changed this so no sales can occur before 30 days. 

Previous reporting from CT Mirror and ProPublica found that towers frequently estimated that the vehicles they asked to sell were worth much less than the blue book value. This year’s bill would eliminate the valuation system and allow all sales to begin after 30 days. It would also establish an advisory council on towing and require that towing companies put information about the vehicles they tow into a statewide online portal within two hours of a tow.

“The three most difficult problems, which are also those most harmful to owners of towed vehicles towed nonconsensually, are NOT fixed by this bill,” said Raphael Podolsky, an attorney with Connecticut Legal Services and a member of the working group, in written testimony. Podolsky called the bill “only a first step” in trying to fix the state’s towing process. 

Podolsky said the law doesn’t do enough to: ensure owners can get their towed vehicles from tow yards, ensure that there is notice sent to the correct vehicle owner or make sure that vehicles are sold at a fair value. Throughout the working group process, Podolsky has suggested changes to the structure of auctions where towed vehicles are sometimes sold to make sure more people show up and for pausing storage fees when vehicle owners alert towing companies they want their vehicles back, among other measures.

DMV Commissioner Tony Guerrera said in his written testimony that he thought the working group recommendations were “reasonable and balanced.” He said the working group was in agreement on the 30-day change and eliminating the valuation process, although the group didn’t vote on the recommendations.

“We felt as though the evaluation was in the eyes of the beholder,” Guerrera said.

Eileen Colonese, of Farmington Motor Sports and a member of the working group, testified in opposition to the bill. She said that some of the requirements, such as uploading information into the portal, would be an administrative burden on companies.

“As written, this bill continues a pattern the towing industry has experienced for many years — increased oversight, additional administrative requirements, and greater operational burdens placed on towing companies without any meaningful adjustment to the rates we are allowed to charge,” said Colonese in her written testimony. Lawmakers are also considering a measure to study parking for home health workers, who are sometimes ticketed or towed while they treat their patients due to a lack of parking.

Lawmakers said they thought the work they did last session was good and they look forward to continuing that work with a new bill.

“We heard about some pretty egregious stories and situations with respect to towing, and I think by and large, we really got at some of those concerns last session,” said committee co-chair Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guilford.

The bill must pass the Transportation Committee by the end of next week to move forward.

CT Mirror reporter Dave Altimari contributed to this story.