Section 448E-13 - [Effective Until 6/30/2027] Exemption of public utility and community antennae television company personnel; annual reports(a) The following persons shall be exempt from this chapter: (1) All employees of a public utility within the State under a franchise or charter granted by the State that is regulated by the public utilities commission and community antennae television company, while so employed; and(2) Employees of an electrical contractor duly licensed under chapter 444; provided that:(A) The contractor is retained by a public utility within the State under a franchise or charter granted by the State that is regulated by the public utilities commission to perform high voltage electrical work for the public utility; (B) After solicitation of a request for proposal to licensed contractors specifying the high voltage work requested, the public utility certifies to the board that no electricians, including electricians employed by C-62 pole and line or C-63 high voltage electrical contractors, responded to the request for proposal who were: (i) Sufficiently qualified and licensed in the State; and(ii) Available and able to perform or timely complete the high voltage electrical work or task, before the contractor hired by the public utility recruited qualified electricians outside the State; provided further that the public utility shall make its request for proposals available through its website in an electronic format to C-62 pole and line and C-63 high voltage electrical contractors;(C) The public utility submits an annual report to the board covering the preceding calendar year that identifies, at a minimum: (i) The number of qualified contractors the public utility employed to perform high voltage electrical work; and(ii) The number of requests for proposals solicited for high voltage work; (D) The employees are deemed qualified by the public utility to perform high voltage electrical work; and (E) The exemption is limited to the use by a public utility for high voltage electrical workers who perform electric transmission and distribution line construction, maintenance, and connection to substation work; provided further that in no circumstance shall the persons be less qualified than the public utility's own employees who perform high voltage electrical work.
(b) Persons retained by a public utility pursuant to subsection (a)(2) shall be exempt from the provisions of section 444-9.5.(c) For purposes of this section, "high voltage" means six hundred volts or higher.Amended by L 2022, c 68,§ 2, eff. 7/1/2022.Amended by L 2018, c 60,§ 2, eff. 6/29/2018.Amended by L 2013, c 65,2, eff. 5/1/2013 .L 1971, c 183, §3; am L 1972, c 196, §6This section is set out more than once due to postponed, multiple, or conflicting amendments.