Bill > HF47

This bill modifies the certification and installation requirements for underground telecommunications installers in Minnesota. The bill reduces the initial certification training from 40 hours to 10 hours, while maintaining comprehensive instruction on safety procedures, including utility line identification, excavation regulations, line strike response, traffic control, directional drilling techniques, and safety hazard mitigation. Installers will still need to pass an approved examination and complete a four-hour refresher course every three years to maintain certification. The bill expands the requirement for safety-qualified underground telecommunications installers statewide, previously limited to the seven-county metropolitan area, with the new statewide requirement taking effect on January 1, 2026. The commissioner of labor and industry, in consultation with the Office of Broadband, will oversee the certification program and has the authority to develop an approval process for training providers, including the ability to suspend or revoke approval for providers who do not consistently deliver approved curriculum or prepare participants effectively for the certification examination.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business and Industry, Labor and Employment

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF0047&ssn=0&y=2025