ELECTRIC UTILITY: CERTIFICATE OF FITNESS

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is not provided in the official metadata; only that it passed the legislature.

Electric Utility Worker Safety Certificates

This law removes the need for a certificate of fitness for electric utility employees and qualified municipal or tribal workers in small, isolated service areas.

What This Bill Does

• Removes the requirement for a certificate of fitness for employees working at an electric utility under specific conditions.
• Allows qualified local municipal or tribal government workers performing work on behalf of utilities to be exempt from this certificate if they meet location rules.
• Applies these exceptions only in service areas that do not contain any portion of a city with more than 2,500 people.
• Also applies the exception to portions of a service area that are not electrically interconnected with other parts and are not part of a city with more than 2,500 people.
• Requires electric utilities to ensure outside workers from local governments are qualified employees and follow established electrical safety standards.

Who It Names or Affects

• Employees of electric utility companies in Alaska
• Qualified employees of local municipal governments performing work on behalf of utilities
• Qualified employees of tribal governments performing work on behalf of utilities

Terms To Know

Certificate of fitness

A document required for a person to be employed to perform specific electrical work, unless an exception applies.

Qualified employee

A person who has shown the ability to safely perform assigned work through degrees, certificates, professional standing, knowledge, training, or experience.

Limits and Unknowns

• The law only applies if the service area does not contain any portion of a city with more than 2,500 people.
• It also requires that isolated portions of a service area are not electrically interconnected with other parts.

Official Summary Text

ELECTRIC UTILITY: CERTIFICATE OF FITNESS
An Act relating to certificates of fitness for employees of an electric utility.

Current Bill Text

HB0329b -1- CSHB 329(L&C)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS1412\G

CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 329(L&C)

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION

BY THE HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE

Offered: 4/1/26
Referred: Rules

Sponsor(s): HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to certificates of fitness for employees of an electric utility." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. AS 18.62.010 is amended to read: 3
Sec. 18.62.010. Certificate of fitness required. In connection with work 4
performed subject to the standards established in AS 18.60.580 and AS 18.60.705, a 5
person may not be employed without a certificate of fitness to perform the work, 6
except that a certificate of fitness may not be required of employees of an electric 7
utility, or qualified employees of the local municipal or tribal government 8
performing work on behalf of the utility, 9
(1) within a service area that does not contain [HAVE WITHIN ITS 10
SERVICE AREA] any portion of a city or unified municipality having more than 11
2,500 population; or 12
(2) within a portion of a service area that is not 13
(A) electrically interconnected with another portion of the 14
electric utility's service area; and 15
34-LS1412\G
CSHB 329(L&C) -2- HB0329b
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

(B) a city or unified municipality having more than 2,500 1
population. 2
* Sec. 2. AS 18.62.010 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 3
(b) An electric utility shall ensure that an employee of a local municipal or 4
tribal government performing work on behalf of the electric utility is a qualified 5
employee and all work is performed in accordance with electrical safety standards 6
established in AS 18.60.580. 7
(c) In this section, "qualified employee" means a person who, through 8
possession of a recognized degree, certificate, professional standing, or knowledge, 9
training, and experience, has successfully demonstrated the ability to safely perform 10
the work assigned. 11