Senate Bill sb0526e1
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1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to electric utility
3 transmission; creating the Post Hurricane
4 Utility Task Force; providing duties and
5 membership of the task force; creating the Post
6 Hurricane Utility Task Force Advisory Panel to
7 advise the task force; providing for membership
8 and duties of the panel; requiring that the
9 task force submit a report to the Governor and
10 the Legislature; providing that the task force
11 be dissolved on a specified date; providing an
12 appropriation; providing an effective date.
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14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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16 Section 1. Post Hurricane Utility Task Force.--
17 (1) The Post Hurricane Utility Task Force is
18 established for the purpose of evaluating the current electric
19 utility transmission system and potential improvements to the
20 system to decrease damage from storms or improve recovery of
21 the system after storm damage, and to develop recommendations
22 for improving the emergency response to storm damage.
23 (2)(a) The task force shall consist of nine members.
24 The President of the Senate shall appoint three members, all
25 of whom shall be members of the Senate, one of whom shall be a
26 member of the minority party. The Speaker of the House of
27 Representatives shall appoint three members, all of whom shall
28 be members of the House, one of whom shall be a member of the
29 minority party. The Governor shall appoint three members. The
30 members of the task force shall designate one of its members
31 as chairperson.
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1 (b) Each member appointed to the task force shall
2 serve at the pleasure of the appointing official. Any vacancy
3 on the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the
4 original appointment.
5 (c) The task force shall be staffed by the Public
6 Service Commission, the Department of Community Affairs, the
7 Department of Management Services, and the Department of
8 Health. Meetings of the task force are subject to sections
9 119.07 and 286.011, Florida Statutes. The chairperson may
10 designate one of the agencies providing staff to perform
11 administrative responsibilities for the task force. The task
12 force may invite technical experts to appear at meetings and
13 provide information.
14 (d) Task force members shall serve without
15 compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for expenses
16 incurred in carrying out their duties as provided in section
17 112.061, Florida Statutes. Members who are public officers or
18 employees shall be reimbursed through the budget entity
19 through which they are compensated. Persons invited to appear
20 and speak at task force meetings are also entitled to receive
21 per diem and travel expenses.
22 (3)(a) To aid the task force, there is created the
23 Post Hurricane Utility Task Force Advisory Panel to provide
24 analysis, advice, and recommendations to the task force
25 regarding the existing electric utility transmission systems
26 and possible changes to the systems and to other affected
27 systems, such as telecommunications and cable systems.
28 (b) The advisory panel shall consist of six members.
29 The President of the Senate shall appoint two members, the
30 Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint two
31 members, and the Governor shall appoint two members. One
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1 member shall be from an electrical power utility company, one
2 member shall be from a telecommunications company, and one
3 member shall be from a cable system company. The remaining
4 members may include representatives from power utility
5 companies, electrical contractors, telecommunications
6 companies, telecommunications systems installers, scientists
7 who specialize in the transmission of power, engineers, and
8 others. Members shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing
9 official, without compensation, and shall be appointed to
10 terms that do not exceed 4 years. Any vacancy on the advisory
11 panel shall be filled in the same manner as the original
12 appointment.
13 (4) The task force shall:
14 (a) Evaluate and analyze the current electric utility
15 transmission and distribution systems, and the current
16 telecommunications and cable systems to the extent that they
17 use the same poles or other facilities as the electric
18 systems.
19 (b) Determine available alternatives to these systems
20 and the feasibility, costs, and reliability of these
21 alternatives, including consideration of storm conditions.
22 (c) Compare the current systems with available,
23 feasible alternatives and determine the costs and benefits of
24 the current systems and the alternatives, including
25 consideration of the costs, both direct and indirect, of
26 continuing the maintenance, upgrading, and protection of the
27 current systems. Cost comparisons should include the
28 possibility of a phase-in of improvements, including
29 coordinating improvements with other utility or infrastructure
30 maintenance or installation.
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1 (d) Evaluate the problems caused by storm damages and
2 problems with emergency response and restoration of electric,
3 telecommunications, and cable systems.
4 (e) Identify facilities that provide critical services
5 and that are required by statute or rule to provide for
6 emergency electric power; evaluate the current electrical
7 needs of those facilities; and recommend guidelines that
8 onsite emergency systems should meet and sustain during
9 post-hurricane recovery.
10 (f) Evaluate the needs of persons with health-related
11 electric needs in their homes and what can be done to provide
12 for these needs in a storm situation.
13 (5) The task force shall present a report of its
14 findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President of
15 the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on
16 March 1, 2006. The task force is dissolved on June 1, 2006.
17 Section 2. There is appropriated $75,000 from the
18 General Revenue Fund to the Department of Community Affairs
19 for the 2005-2006 fiscal year to be used to pay for the
20 expenses of the task force.
21 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
22 law.
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