ASSEMBLY HOMELAND SECURITY AND STATE PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

ASSEMBLY, No. 1226

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED:  OCTOBER 19, 2020

 

      The Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 1226.

      As reported by the committee, Assembly Bill No. 1226 requires the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to adopt rules and regulations requiring an electric public utility to provide priority power restoration following an extended power outage to: 1) hospitals; 2) nursing homes; 3) assisted living facilities; 4) chronic or acute renal dialysis facilities; and 5) clinical or research laboratories or institutes that store human blood, other human tissue, or human DNA.

      The bill requires the BPU to allow a utility to exercise its discretion to prioritize power restoration to any of the specified facilities after an extended power outage in accordance with the facilities’ needs and the characteristics of the geographic area in which power is to be restored.

      Any priority power restoration efforts on behalf of the specified facilities are not to divert efforts to restore power where needed to otherwise maintain overall public safety.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2020-2021 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.