Bill Text: NJ A5079 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Concerns electrical linemen during weather-related states of emergency.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-12-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee [A5079 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A5079-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman KEVIN P. EGAN
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Concerns electrical linemen during weather-related states of emergency.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning electrical linemen in certain emergencies, supplementing Title 48 and Title 53 of the Revised Statutes and Title 2A of the New Jersey Statutes, and amending P.L.1989, c.3.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) As used in this section, "electrical lineman" means a person that installs, maintains, or repairs electrical transmission and power distribution systems.
An electrical lineman shall be referred to as a "first responder electrical lineman" during a weather-related state of emergency, as declared by the Governor or by the President of the United States.
2. (New section) a. As used in this section, "first responder electrical lineman" means a person that installs, maintains, or repairs electrical transmission and power distribution systems during a weather-related state of emergency, as declared by the Governor or by the President of the United States.
b. The Division of State Police may issue special decals for motor vehicles owned, leased, or used by a first responder electrical lineman to provide or restore electrical service during a weather-related state of emergency, as declared by the Governor or by the President of the United States.
c. The decals shall be designed by the Division of State Police, in consultation with the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety. The decals shall be displayed in a manner prescribed by the Division of State Police, in consultation with the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety, and shall be clearly visible to law enforcement officers.
d. (1) A first responder electrical lineman shall not display the special decals at any time except in the course of providing or restoring electrical service during a weather-related state of emergency. The decal shall be removed after the weather-related state of emergency has ended.
(2) Abuse of any privilege, benefit, use or consideration granted to any person to whom the special decals are issued shall be sufficient cause for revocation of the special decals, and shall subject the person to all other penalties in this section.
(3) A first responder electrical lineman shall return the special decal to the Division of State Police when the first responder electrical lineman is no longer employed or utilized to provide electrical service during a weather-related state of emergency. A first responder electrical lineman who fails to return the special decals within 30 days of no longer being employed or utilized to provide electrical service during a weather-related state of emergency shall be subject to a fine of $100 to be imposed by the Division of State Police.
e. The Division of State Police shall determine a method for distributing and returning the special decals to and from a first responder electrical lineman and establish any regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this section.
f. Any person who submits a false statement or provides false information to obtain or facilitate the receipt of the special decals, or the misuse of the special decals pursuant to this section shall be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000, which fine may be assessed by the Division of State Police. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed in any way to preclude or limit the prosecution or conviction of any person for falsifying or tampering with records under N.J.S.2C:21-4 or for any other crime or offense.
3. (New section) a. As used in this section, "first responder electrical lineman" means a person that installs, maintains, or repairs electrical transmission and power distribution systems during a weather-related state of emergency, as declared by the Governor or by the President of the United States.
b. A first responder electrical lineman shall not be liable for any civil damages as a result of any acts or omissions undertaken in good faith that arise out of and in the course of providing or restoring electrical service during a weather-related state of emergency, as declared by the Governor or by the President of the United States.
c. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to grant immunity to a first responder electrical lineman causing damage by a willful, wanton, or grossly negligent act or omission, nor for any damage caused to any person as the result of the negligent operation of a motor vehicle.
4. Section 8 of P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-8) is amended to read as follows:
a. Each public safety answering point shall be capable of dispatching or forwarding requests for law enforcement, fire fighting, emergency medical services, or other emergency services to a public or private safety agency that provides the requested services.
b. Each public safety answering point shall be equipped with a system approved by the office for the processing of requests for emergency services for the physically disabled. No person shall connect to a telephone company's network any automatic alarm or other automatic alerting device which causes the number "9-1-1" to be automatically dialed and which provides a prerecorded message in order to directly access emergency services, except for devices which may be approved by the office. Devices approved by the office shall be registered with the office on forms provided by the office.
c. Each entity operating a public safety answering point shall be responsible for obtaining, operating, and maintaining enhanced 9-1-1 termination equipment. The operations and maintenance of this equipment shall be in accordance with standards set forth by the office pursuant to section 3 of [this act] P.L.1989, c.3 (C.52:17C-3).
d. During a weather-related state of emergency, as declared by the Governor or the President of the United States, each public safety answering point shall be capable of dispatching or forwarding requests for electric utility services to a first responder electrical lineman, as defined in this subsection, that provides the requested service.
As used in this subsection, "first responder electrical lineman" means a person that installs, maintains, or repairs electrical transmission and power distribution systems during a weather-related state of emergency, as declared by the Governor or by the President of the United States.
(cf: P.L.1989, c.3, s.8)
5. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill designates electrical linemen as first responders during weather-related states of emergency and establishes several benefits to electrical linemen during a weather-related state of emergency.
Under the bill, an electrical lineman, during a weather-related state of emergency, as declared by the Governor or the President of the United States, is not liable for any civil damages as a result of any act or omission undertaken in good faith that arise out of and in the course of providing or restoring electrical service. The immunity provided for in this bill does not apply to an electrical lineman that causes damage by a willful, wanton, or grossly negligent act or omission or causes damage to any person as the result of the negligent operation of a motor vehicle.
Additionally, this bill permits the Division of State Police (State Police) to issue special decals for motor vehicles to first responder electrical linemen during a weather-related state of emergency. The decals are required to be displayed in a manner determined by the State Police, in consultation with the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety, and be clearly visible to law enforcement officers. A first responder electrical lineman is prohibited from displaying the special decals at any time except in the course of providing or restoring electrical service during a weather-related state of emergency. The decal is required to be removed after the weather-related state of emergency has ended.
Abuse of any privilege, benefit, use or consideration granted to any person to whom the special decals are issued is sufficient cause for revocation of the special decals, and the person is subject to any penalties imposed by this bill. A first responder electrical lineman is required to return the special decal to the State Police when the first responder electrical lineman is no longer employed or utilized to provide electrical service during a weather-related state of emergency. If a first responder electrical lineman fails to return the special decals within 30 days of no longer being employed or utilized to provide electrical service during a weather-related state of emergency, the first responder electrical lineman is subject to a fine of $100 to be imposed by the State Police. The State Police is required to determine a method for distributing and returning the special decals to and from a first responder electrical lineman and establish any regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this bill. Additionally, any person who submits a false statement or provides false information to obtain or facilitate the receipt of the special decals, or the misuse of the special decals is subject to a fine of not more than $1,000, which fine may be assessed by the State Police.
This bill also amends current law to require public safety answering points, which are facilities that receive and dispatch or transfer 9-1-1 calls, to be capable of dispatching and forwarding emergency calls for electric utility services to first responder electrical linemen during weather-related states of emergency.
As defined in the bill, a "first responder electrical lineman" is a person that installs, maintains, or repairs electrical transmission and power distribution systems during a weather-related state of emergency, as declared by the Governor or by the President of the United States.
