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.