DANVERS - Gov. Deval Patrick filed his first bill as governor yesterday, and it was to help the victims of the Nov. 22 Danvers chemical blast.

Under the bill, Danvers would be allowed to grant tax abatements to homeowners who lost at least 30 percent of their property value as a result of the explosion. People whose homes were destroyed or badly damaged are expected to save $1,000 on average.

At an afternoon press conference at the Statehouse, Patrick called on the Legislature to act quickly.

"I'm looking forward to having this enacted promptly and to sign it into law," Patrick said.

Without the law, many Danversport homeowners would not be eligible for a property tax abatement.

Cities and towns need state permission to grant abatements for losses less than 50 percent. Many Danversport homes sit on valuable land, so their homes are worth less than half the property's total value.

Only people whose homes were damaged on Nov. 22 - when the chemical explosion at the CAI Inc. plant rocked Danversport - are eligible.

Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry, D-Peabody, Rep. Ted Speliotis, D-Danvers, and Town Manager Wayne Marquis asked Patrick to file the abatement bill.

There are 44 Danvers families still out of their homes.

Speliotis said he and Berry intentionally kept their aid request simple.

"We crafted legislation that is very narrow and that avoids the problem of last fall," Speliotis said.

Last year, the House killed a bill that combined money for victims of the May 2006 flood with $2.3 million for the town of Danvers.

House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, D-Boston, blocked that bill after western Massachusetts lawmakers objected. They were upset because the state didn't provide aid when their region was hit by floods in October 2005.

The abatement bill will start out in the House. DiMasi appears willing to make an exception to this bill, which doesn't cost the state any money.

"The speaker understands this is a time-sensitive issue for the residents of Danvers," spokeswoman Kim Haberlin said, "and he's going to do what he can to make sure it moves through the legislative process quickly."

Berry, the second-highest-ranking senator, said he does not expect opposition in the Senate.

Town officials typically initiate requests to expand abatement eligibility, and in fact a proposal to do just that is on Danvers' Special Town Meeting warrant for Monday. It was placed on the warrant before the governor announced yesterday that he would file the legislation himself.

Speliotis said homeowners would get relief faster if the bill started with the governor and went immediately to the Legislature.

As for the money for the town of Danvers, Berry and Speliotis said they might attach that $2.3 million request to other legislation but were not sure.