House Study Bill 50 - Introduced SENATE/HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/UTILITIES DIVISION BILL) A BILL FOR An Act increasing civil penalties applicable to specified 1 pipeline safety violations. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1099XD (3) 85 rn/sc

S.F. _____ H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 479.31, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 1 2013, is amended to read as follows: 2 A person who violates this chapter or any rule or order 3 issued pursuant to this chapter shall be subject to a civil 4 penalty levied by the board not to exceed ten one hundred 5 thousand dollars for each violation. Each day that the 6 violation continues shall constitute a separate offense. 7 However, the maximum civil penalty shall not exceed five 8 hundred thousand one million dollars for any related series of 9 violations. Civil penalties collected pursuant to this section 10 shall be credited to and are appropriated for the Iowa energy 11 center created in section 266.39C . 12 EXPLANATION 13 This bill increases civil penalties applicable to violations 14 of Code chapter 479, relating to pipelines and underground 15 gas storage. Currently, violations of the Code chapter, or 16 an administrative rule or order relating to the Code chapter, 17 are subject to a civil penalty levied by the Iowa utilities 18 board not to exceed $10,000 per violation, subject to a 19 $500,000 maximum. The bill increases these limits to $100,000 20 and $1 million, respectively. Civil penalties collected for 21 violations of the Code chapter are credited to and appropriated 22 for the Iowa energy center created in Code section 266.39C. 23 -1- LSB 1099XD (3) 85 rn/sc 1/ 1