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A key committee in the General Assembly has backed a plan to extend foreclosure mediation for homeowners whose foundations are crumbling due to substandard construction materials.

The Danbury News-Times reports that the banking committee of the General Assembly voted 10-5 Tuesday afternoon in favor of extending a foreclosure mediation mandate for another four years. Under the current law, passed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and set to expire in June, lenders are required to participate in a state-monitored mediation process intended to avoid bank seizures of homes.

The mediation program applies to all foreclosures, but could benefit homeowners facing huge bills after their foundations were built with gravel contaminated with the mineral pyrrhotite, which causes concrete to crumble and crack.