Bill Text: NJ A2967 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires electric public utilities to maintain registry of retired employees to undertake certain tasks during certain power outages caused by major events.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-20 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee [A2967 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A2967-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman PARKER SPACE
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Requires electric public utilities to maintain registry of retired employees to undertake certain tasks during certain power outages caused by major events.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning certain electric public utility emergency response measures and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
"Board" means the Board of Public Utilities or any successor agency.
"Electric public utility" or "utility" means a public utility, as defined in R.S.48:2-13, that operates an electricity distribution system for public use within this State.
"Major event" means an occurrence arising from conditions beyond the control of an electric public utility, including, but not limited to, a terrorist attack, thunderstorm, tornado, hurricane, flood, heat wave, snow storm, ice storm, or earthquake, which result in:
a. a sustained interruption of utility service to at least 10 percent of the customers in a service area or 10 percent of a utility's customers within a municipality or county located in a utility service area; or
b. the declaration of a state of emergency or disaster by the State or by the federal government.
"Service area" means a defined geographical service territory where an electric public utility operates an electricity distribution system for public use within this State as approved by the board.
"Sustained interruption" means the cessation of electric public utility service to one or more customers lasting more than 48 hours.
2. An electric public utility shall establish and maintain a registry of retired employees of the utility who are willing to be hired on a short-term, temporary basis by the utility to undertake those tasks for which they are trained to assist the utility to respond quickly and efficiently during a sustained interruption caused by a major event.
3. This act shall take effect immediately, but shall remain inoperative for 60 days following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires an electric public utility (utility) to establish and maintain a registry of retired employees of the utility who are willing to be hired on a short-term, temporary basis by the utility to undertake those tasks for which they are trained to assist the utility to respond quickly and efficiently during a "sustained interruption" caused by a "major event" as those terms are defined in the bill.
