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Committee advances updates to one‑call/excavation law; delays, penalty changes and a single-notice discussion remain
Summary
Substitute Senate Bill 5,627, which amends the Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act to update notice and locating requirements, modify penalties and require a web-based platform for the one‑number locator service, was reported out of committee with amendments after debate and a voice vote (20 ayes, 1 excused).
March 27 — The Environment & Energy Committee reported substitute Senate Bill 5,627 out of committee with a due-pass as amended recommendation after committee staff briefings and debate on amendments that alter notice responsibilities, penalty levels and implementation timelines for the state’s one‑call/one‑number system.
Matt Sterling, committee staff, summarized the bill and a striking amendment for the committee. He said the bill would modify notice before excavation, duties before and during excavation, and duties when excavation causes damage to underground infrastructure. The striking amendment removed several provisions from the underlying Senate bill, including a proposed requirement that an end user locate all underground facilities on their property and that the one‑number locator service maintain a list of private-line locate providers. The amendment also delayed a new requirement that excavators receive a positive response from all operators identified in a notice before beginning excavation until Jan. 1, 2026.
The striking amendment would permit a single web-based platform that provides the same services as the existing toll-free number and would change who must subscribe to the one-number locator service. It would require the safety committee created or modified under the bill to include a labor representative who represents workers who historically perform underground utility or excavation work, and it directs the safety committee to make a recommendation on permitting multiple excavators on a single notice by Dec. 1, 2025.
Representative Dye offered an amendment to reduce the maximum civil penalty for excavators from $25,000 to $10,000 and to require civil penalties collected for violations that caused damage be used to mitigate the damage. Representative Dye described the change as rebalancing enforcement to allow restorative outcomes rather than bankrupting individuals. The amendment failed in committee.
The committee adopted the striking amendment and then voted to report the bill out of committee with a due-pass as amended recommendation. Committee staff recorded 20 ayes and 1 excused on the final vote.
