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Committee advances bill defining emergency utility line workers, grants limited immunity
Summary
A House committee voted to send House Bill 2402 to Finance, Ways and Means after the sponsor said the bill would define emergency utility line workers, allow access to restricted areas during declared weather emergencies, extend assault-protection status and provide limited good-faith civil immunity, while preserving law-enforcement authority.
A Tennessee House committee voted to advance House Bill 2402 on a unanimous recorded vote after the sponsor described measures intended to protect utility workers who restore services during severe weather.
Representative Reeves, the bill sponsor, told the committee that during a recent ice storm thousands of Tennesseans lost power, roads were dangerous and temperatures were life-threatening. He said the bill "recognizes that reality during declared weather emergencies" by defining ‘‘emergency utility line workers,’’ ensuring they can access restricted areas to restore electricity and other services, including to hospitals, water systems and emergency communications. The bill also would include those workers in the definition of first responders for assault protections and provide limited good-faith civil immunity while performing restoration work, he said.
Reeves said an amendment clarified that nothing in the bill limits law-enforcement authority to prohibit access for valid law-enforcement purposes. "Between yesterday and today we clarified with the amendment that we just put on that nothing in this bill limits the authority of law enforcement to prohibit access for a valid law enforcement purposes," the sponsor said.
The committee adopted House Amendment 17554 before returning to the bill. The clerk reported the final tally on the committee's vote to send HB2402, as amended, to the Finance, Ways and Means Committee at 15 ayes, 0 noes and 2 present not voting.
The bill now goes to the Finance, Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.
