Plain English Breakdown
The official summary does not list a specific effective date, though it notes the bill was chaptered in October 2025.
The Justin Kropp Safety Act: AEDs at Electrical Utility Worksites
This law requires electrical utilities and their contractors to keep automated external defibrillators (AEDs) available at worksites where two or more workers handle transmission or distribution lines of 601 volts or higher.
What This Bill Does
- Requires an AED at every worksite with 2 or more electrical utility workers on transmission or distribution lines of 601 volts or more.
- Mandates that utilities and contractors create written policies for using these devices.
- Applies existing rules to ensure AEDs are placed, tested, inspected, notified, and recorded correctly.
- Extends civil liability protection to workers who use an AED in good faith during an emergency without pay.
- Provides civil liability exemption to utilities that acquire an AED for emergencies and make reasonable efforts to follow all safety rules.
Who It Names or Affects
- Electrical corporations, electrical cooperatives, and local publicly owned electric utilities.
- Independent contractors or subcontractors working for these utilities.
- Workers performing tasks on high-voltage transmission or distribution lines of 601 volts or more.
Terms To Know
- Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
- A portable device used to deliver an electric shock during cardiac arrest, subject to specific placement and testing rules.
- Civil Liability Exemption
- Legal protection that prevents people or companies from being sued for damages when they provide emergency care in good faith without pay, unless there is gross negligence or willful misconduct.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law does not protect anyone who acts with gross negligence, willful misconduct, or wanton behavior.
- This act states that the state is not required to reimburse local agencies for costs related to these new duties.
- Violating rules created by the Public Utilities Commission under this bill could result in criminal charges.