This bill mandates that public utilities are responsible for reimbursing the State or local governments for costs incurred in securing potentially dangerous conditions on properties they control. When such a condition arises, the State or local unit can file a claim for reimbursement after notifying the public utility and deploying personnel to secure the area. The public utility must respond within one hour by deploying its own personnel to avoid liability for the claim. The bill also establishes that these reimbursement provisions do not apply during declared states of emergency.

Additionally, the bill requires the Commissioner of Community Affairs to create a fee schedule to assist in the claims process, based on federal guidelines. The Board of Public Utilities is tasked with verifying and compiling emergency contact information for public utilities, which will be disseminated to relevant State and local government offices. Importantly, any amounts paid by public utilities under this bill will not be considered in their base rate cases before the Board of Public Utilities.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 2A:62A-21