Senate updates underground-utility law, adds industry representation to 811 board

The Missouri Senate on April 9 approved Senate Substitute for Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 133, a measure that updates state law governing underground facilities and the 8-1-1 damage-prevention board.

Sponsor remarks characterized the bill as a safety measure to reduce incidents in which pipelines or other utilities are struck. "We need to update those statutes ... to ensure that gas pipelines aren't hit, homes aren't destroyed, and that is done accurately, timely, and in a fashion that will protect our communities," the Senator from Callaway, a state senator, said while explaining the measure.

Key changes described on the floor include adding excavator and locator representation to the 8-1-1 board and provisions to deploy monitoring technologies intended to improve the accuracy of locating underground utilities. The sponsor said the changes are intended to improve marking timeliness and accuracy and to increase industry participation in board decisions. Questions from other senators sought to clarify that the bill does not shift costs to municipalities when utilities are moved; the sponsor confirmed that cost-allocation for utility relocations was not covered in this bill.

The Senate approved the bill by a recorded vote of 32 ayes and 0 noes; the journal entry notes titling and perfecting motions were also carried. The transcript includes the sponsor's floor explanation and the roll-call result; it does not include fiscal notes or an implementation schedule in the recorded excerpt.