Senate Bill sb0526c1
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Florida Senate - 2005 CS for SB 526
By the Committee on Communications and Public Utilities; and
Senator Klein
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1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to electric utility
3 transmission; creating the Electric Utility
4 Task Force; providing duties and membership of
5 the task force; requiring that the task force
6 submit a report to the Governor and the
7 Legislature; providing that the task force be
8 dissolved on a specified date; providing an
9 appropriation; providing an effective date.
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11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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13 Section 1. Electric Utility Task Force.--
14 (1) The Electric Utility Task Force is established for
15 the purpose of evaluating the current electric utility
16 transmission system and potential improvements to the system
17 to decrease damage from storms or improve recovery of the
18 system after storm damage, and to develop recommendations for
19 improving the emergency response to storm damage.
20 (2)(a) The task force shall consist of nine members.
21 The President of the Senate shall appoint three members, all
22 of whom shall be members of the Senate, one of whom shall be a
23 member of the minority party. The Speaker of the House of
24 Representatives shall appoint three members, all of whom shall
25 be members of the House, one of whom shall be a member of the
26 minority party. The Governor shall appoint three members. The
27 members of the task force shall designate one of its members
28 as chairperson.
29 (b) Each member appointed to the task force shall
30 serve at the pleasure of the appointing official. Any vacancy
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Florida Senate - 2005 CS for SB 526
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1 on the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the
2 original appointment.
3 (c) The task force shall be staffed by the Public
4 Service Commission, the Department of Community Affairs, the
5 Department of Management Services, and the Department of
6 Health. Meetings of the task force are subject to sections
7 119.07 and 286.011, Florida Statutes. The chairperson may
8 designate one of the agencies providing staff to perform
9 administrative responsibilities for the task force. The task
10 force may invite technical experts to appear at meetings and
11 provide information.
12 (d) Task force members shall serve without
13 compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for expenses
14 incurred in carrying out their duties as provided in section
15 112.061, Florida Statutes. Members who are public officers or
16 employees shall be reimbursed through the budget entity
17 through which they are compensated. Persons invited to appear
18 and speak at task force meetings are also entitled to receive
19 per diem and travel expenses.
20 (3) The task force shall:
21 (a) Evaluate and analyze the current electric utility
22 transmission and distribution systems, and the current
23 telecommunications and cable systems to the extent they use
24 the same poles or other facilities as the electric systems.
25 (b) Determine available alternatives to these systems
26 and the feasibility, costs, and reliability of these
27 alternatives, including consideration of storm conditions.
28 (c) Compare the current systems with available,
29 feasible alternatives and determine the costs and benefits of
30 the current systems and the alternatives, including
31 consideration of the costs, both direct and indirect, of
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Florida Senate - 2005 CS for SB 526
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1 continuing the maintenance, upgrading, and protection of the
2 current systems. Cost comparisons should include the
3 possibility of a phase-in of improvements, including
4 coordinating improvements with other utility or infrastructure
5 maintenance or installation.
6 (d) Evaluate the problems caused by storm damages and
7 problems with emergency response and restoration of electric,
8 telecommunications, and cable systems.
9 (e) Identify facilities providing critical services,
10 such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, water, and
11 wastewater facilities, and evaluate the current electrical
12 needs of those facilities; determine whether on-site emergency
13 systems should be required for these facilities; and recommend
14 guidelines that on-site emergency systems should meet and
15 sustain during post-hurricane recovery.
16 (f) Evaluate the needs of persons with health-related
17 electric needs in their homes and what can be done to provide
18 for these needs in a storm situation.
19 (4) The task force shall present a report of its
20 findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President of
21 the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on
22 March 1, 2006. The task force is dissolved on June 1, 2006.
23 Section 2. There is appropriated $75,000 from the
24 General Revenue Fund to the Department of Community Affairs
25 for the 2005-2006 fiscal year to be used to pay for the
26 expenses of the task force.
27 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
28 law.
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Florida Senate - 2005 CS for SB 526
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1 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
2 SB 526
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4 The Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 526:
5 Changes the membership of the task force to require that the
members appointed by legislative presiding officers be
6 legislators;
7 Adds staff of executive branch agencies to the staffing of the
task force;
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Narrows the duties of the task force;
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Provides a later date of dissolution of the task force;
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Provides an appropriation of $75,000 to pay task force
11 expenses.
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