H.B. 659 Summary

• Creates an underground technical committee with 17 members representing commercial excavators, utilities, municipalities, and other stakeholders to review compliance failures and recommend fines or penalties.

• Establishes a registration system requiring utilities, excavators, developers, and designers participating in one-call notification systems to register with the Public Utilities Commission and pay an annual fee not exceeding $50.

• Authorizes the Public Utilities Commission to enforce underground utility protection laws through complaint investigations, with fines up to $2,500 for first violations and $5,000 for subsequent violations, or up to $10,000 for persistent noncompliers.

• Creates an underground facilities protection fund from collected fines to support grants for public awareness programs, training, education, and incentive programs related to underground utility damage prevention.

• Clarifies that committee findings and commission decisions do not determine civil liability, and allows persons to pursue separate civil claims for damages related to underground utility incidents.