HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Victims of repeated flooding in Hartford have thrown their support behind a proposal that proponents said would add another layer of accountability to Connecticut’s largest water company.

Residents of Hartford’s north end have described constant flooding and sewage issues damaging their homes and businesses.

The complaints have been ongoing for years, with backups common after heavy rainstorms. The issues have caused extensive damage, with homeowners left to pay for most, if not all, of the cost.

Now, a Metropolitan District Commission watchdog bill has made it out of committee and is circulating among legislators. If passed, it would take a hard look at how the MDC conducts its business.

“We have been working at this for years,” Sen. Derek Slap (D-District 19) said. “We want to add a level of accountability and transparency to the MDC.”

Some lawmakers want a second set of eyes on the company. The plan would have state auditors take a look and do another audit of the MDC. Slap said the legislature could also establish another layer of ethics.

While the bill has been pushed for years, it unanimously got out of committee last week.

The flooding victims have told their stories to bring attention to their ongoing issues.

“Lawmakers up here have been listening to our stories,” said Bridgitte Prince, an Army veteran who lost military memorabilia in a flood. “They have been seeing the new stories.”

The homeowners have talked to state and federal officials, along with the MDC, to get change. William DiBella, the MDC chairman, said that the company has spent $1.7 billion and another $800 million from the state, but “it still isn’t significantly enough.”

“We need major infrastructure money,” he said.

The NAACP has called for action, as well.

“You’re taking a very poor neighborhood and subsidizing other member towns because they’re not getting the same services that the member towns are getting,” said Cynthia Jennings, a civil rights and environmental attorney. “People are losing their homes. They are getting raw sewage backed up into their houses, and once the water is turned off, their house is condemned.”

Hundreds of other homes in Hartford’s north end have been flooded.

“If you have your basement flooded, whether you live in the north end or any one of the MDC towns, many people feel right now they don’t have a voice,” Slap said.

Activists are confident the bill will pass this year.

“People in the legislature are not going to vote against oversight and fiscal responsibility,” Jennings said. “So, it’s going to be hard for any elected official to now turn around and say, ‘Well, no. We don’t want oversight, and we don’t want fiscal responsibility.'”

The MDC sent News 8 its four-page testimony it submitted to the committee. The company wrote that it opposes the bill and already has an annual audit.

The company also wrote it is working on a $1.5 billion mandated capital improvement project and called the bill an “unreasonable and unnecessary mandate.”