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Senate committee rejects re-establishing Ropeway Safety board after split vote; sponsor’s bill tabled
Summary
Senate Bill 556, which would reestablish a Ropeway (Tramway) Safety board to oversee ski-area lifts and trams, failed a roll-call vote in committee and was then tabled. Sponsor Willis Curdy cited personal incidents and a recent death to argue for new oversight; opponents raised technical liability and sovereign-immunity issues.
Sen. Willis Curdy introduced SB 556 to reestablish a seven-member Ropeway Safety board to oversee passenger ropeways, including ski lifts, chairlifts and trams. Curdy said recent incidents — including his son falling about 15 feet from a lift two years earlier and a recent fatality at Bridal Lodge Ski Area — highlighted gaps in oversight and public transparency.
The bill would require operators to register ropeways, carry insurance, submit to inspections, obtain certificates of operation and pay modest annual fees (curb examples in the bill: chairlift $200/year, rope tow $100/year, aerial tram $300/year) and assessments up to one-quarter of one percent on gross passenger ropeway receipts to fund the board’s work. Curdy said the board would adopt standards consistent with the American National Standards Institute for Passenger Ropeways and have authority to seek injunctive relief for noncompliant operators.
Don Harris, chief legal counsel for the Department of Administration, raised a technical, not a policy, objection to language that would extend state-style defense coverage to independent contractors, arguing those private firms typically prefer their own counsel and insurers, and that sovereign-immunity-based protections do not clearly extend to independent businesses. Senator Novak asked the sponsor whether he would remove the independent-contractor language; the sponsor agreed to delete it.
Committee members probed practical questions about jurisdiction (e.g., ski areas that cross state lines), the number of ropeways affected (the Department of Commerce fiscal note cited 15 passenger ropeways), routine insurance inspections, and whether a new board was the right mechanism versus relying on insurance requirements, permit holders or existing federal permit authorities. Curdy argued the state has a duty to protect health, safety and welfare and that the lack of transparent oversight leaves the public without a clear avenue for scrutiny after incidents.
On the committee floor, the sponsor moved the bill 'do pass.' A roll-call vote recorded five 'yes' and six 'no' votes and the 'do pass' motion failed; a subsequent motion to table SB 556 passed, effectively pausing the measure. The sponsor indicated he may pursue a floor amendment and asked the committee to consider technical edits before any further action.
Because the roll-call failed and the bill was tabled, SB 556 will not proceed immediately; sponsors and agency staff signaled continued interest in addressing safety and transparency issues, and may return with revised language.
