Sec. 251.060. DUTIES OF CORPORATION. The corporation shall develop and implement processes to:

(1) maintain a registration of:

(A) notification centers as provided by Section 251.101(a)(3);

(B) operators who elect to convert facilities to Class A facilities under Section 251.005(a); or

(C) operators who elect to become Class A underground facility operators under Section 251.005(b);

(2) establish minimum technical standards used by notification centers;

(3) establish a statewide toll-free telephone number to be used by excavators that incorporates the use of a call router system that routes calls to the notification centers on a pro rata basis;

(4) oversee the bid process and select the vendor for the statewide toll-free telephone number;

(5) oversee the bid process and select the vendor for the call router system;

(6) determine before May 1 of each year the cost-sharing between the notification centers of:

(A) the toll-free telephone number; and

(B) the call router system prescribed by Section 251.102(4);

(7) develop public service announcements to educate the public about statewide one-call notification and its availability;

(8) establish a format for information transfer among notification centers other than high speed data transmission, if appropriate;

(9) on a complaint concerning charges, investigate and determine appropriate charges;

(10) recommend a civil penalty against a notification center that does not meet the requirements of this chapter of not less than $1,000 or more than $5,000 for each violation;

(11) refer the recommended penalty to the attorney general, who shall institute a suit in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover the penalty;

(12) assist in dispute resolution among notification centers or between a notification center and an operator;

(13) assist any operator who encounters difficulty in joining a notification center; and

(14) review and study design standards for the placement of underground facilities throughout this state.

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 62, Sec. 18.17(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1999.