Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Committee halts action on bill that would require utilities to allow law enforcement pole attachments
Summary
House Bill 2,109 would require public utilities to enter into pole‑attachment agreements with law enforcement agencies on request; committee members raised questions about breadth of the definition of law enforcement agency, dispute resolution and privacy, and a motion to advance the bill was withdrawn and the bill was tabled for further work.
House Bill 2,109, which would require public utilities to enter into pole‑attachment agreements with law enforcement agencies upon request, drew questions from senators about the bill’s scope, dispute resolution and privacy implications and was tabled after committee debate.
Nick Myers (legislative staff) summarized the bill for the committee, saying it would require any public utility to enter into a pole attachment agreement when requested by a law enforcement agency and would specify the poles, the nature of equipment, utility safety specifications, indemnification language and a provision allowing the utility to require that attachments and operations be performed by the utility or a qualified contractor.
Senator Warren and other senators expressed concerns about the bill’s broad definition of “law enforcement agency” (testimony referenced a definition in the rules of evidence as “any public agency that employs law enforcement officers”),…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
