| Chapter 104 |
| 2025 -- S 0601 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/23/2025 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- DUTIES OF UTILITIES AND CARRIERS |
Introduced By: Senators Britto, McKenney, Sosnowski, Gu, Felag, LaMountain, DiPalma, and Bissaillon |
| Date Introduced: March 06, 2025 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 39-2-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 39-2 entitled "Duties of |
| Utilities and Carriers" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 39-2-8. Penalty for violations. |
| Any public utility which shall violate any provision of chapters 1 — 5 of this title, or shall |
| do any act herein prohibited, or shall fail or refuse to perform any duty enjoined upon it for which |
| a penalty has not been provided, shall be subject to a penalty of not less than two hundred dollars |
| ($200) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) five thousand dollars ($5,000), and in the case |
| of a continuing violation of any of the provisions of the chapters, every day’s continuance thereof |
| shall be deemed to be a separate and distinct offense. |
| SECTION 2. Section 39-4-22 of the General Laws in Chapter 39-4 entitled "Hearings and |
| Investigations" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 39-4-22. Penalties for violations. |
| Every public utility or water supplier pursuant to chapter 15.4 of title 46 [repealed], and all |
| officers and agents thereof, shall obey, observe, and comply with every order of the division made |
| under the authority of chapters 1 — 5 of this title as long as the order shall be and remain in force. |
| Every public utility or water supplier that shall violate any of the provisions of the chapters or that |
| fails, omits, or neglects to obey, observe, or comply with any order of the division, shall be subject |
| to a penalty of not less than two hundred dollars ($200) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) |
| five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each and every offense. Every violation of the order shall be a |
| separate and distinct offense and, in case of a continuing violation, every day’s continuance thereof |
| shall be, and be deemed to be, a separate and distinct offense. Every officer, agent, or employee of |
| a public utility or water supplier who shall violate any of the provisions of the chapters, or who |
| procures, aids, or abets any violation by any public utility or water supplier, or who shall fail to |
| obey, observe, or comply with any order of the division, or any provision of an order of the division, |
| or who procures, aids, or abets any public utility or water supplier in its failure to obey, observe, or |
| comply with any order or provision, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined not less |
| than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) one thousand dollars |
| ($1,000). In construing and enforcing the provisions of this section, the act, omission, or failure of |
| any officer, agent, or other person acting for or employed by any public utility or water supplier, |
| acting within the scope of his or her employment, shall in every case be deemed to be also the act, |
| omission, or failure of the public utility or water supplier. |
| SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC001351/SUB A |
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