2017 LEGISLATURE APPROVES PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
TO CHAPTER 556 , F . S .
House Bill 379 and Senate Bill 446 were both passed Monday , May 1 , 2017 , ordered enrolled and sent to Governor Rick Scott for approval .
Senator Kathleen Passidomo , Senate District 28 , with her resourceful and professional staff , moved SB446 through four committee references . It received unanimous support in each committee and on the Senate floor . Representative Thomas Leek , House District 25 , along with his efficient and hard-working staff moved HB379 through two committee references . The bill received near unanimous support in each committee and on the House floor . This successful 2017 Legislative effort – passage of our House and Senate bills – is due to the efforts of Senator Passidomo and Representative Leek . The bills amended the Underground Facility Damage Prevention and
Safety Act , Chapter 556 , Florida Statutes , as follows :
• Allow State enforcement authorities to retain 80 percent of the civil penalty collected by the clerk of the court from citations issued for violation of Chapter 556 ( as currently granted to local enforcement authorities as an incentive to enforce the law );
• Require excavators to call 911 to report any contact with an underground pipeline that results in a release of a hazardous material or substance ( as directed by US DOT PHMSA for consistency with federal law );
• Require that member operators report to the system at least annually by March 31 of each year a report of the damages to their underground facilities for the preceding year ( to build a database of damages to underground facilities in Florida to include if known , the cause , nature and location of the damage );
• Authorize the system analyze the damage data reported to the system as authorized by the Board of Directors ( to support future legislation needed to reduce damages to critical underground facilities and assist in developing targeted public awareness campaigns );
• Require the system to annually send a summary of damages reported to the system for the preceding year to the President of the Senate , the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Governor pursuant to s . 556.103 .
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6 DITCHMEN • MAY 2017