A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Safe Digging Month.
- Bill Number
- S.Res. 160
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Status
- Passed Senate
- Latest Action
- 2025-04-07: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2459; text: CR S2458-2459)
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-21T13:41:36Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
This Senate Resolution (S. Res. 160) expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Safe Digging Month, which aims to raise awareness about the risks of damaging underground utility lines during excavation and promote safe digging practices to prevent accidents, service disruptions, environmental harm, injuries, and fatalities.
Key Provisions
- Support for National Safe Digging Month: The Senate endorses April as a month dedicated to educating the public on safe digging, commemorating the 2005 designation of "811" as the national toll-free number for locating underground utilities.
- Encouragement to Contact 811: Urges homeowners and professional excavators across the U.S. to call or use the online 811 service before any digging to have utility lines marked with paint or flags.
- Call for Education Efforts: Encourages utility companies, state "One Call" systems, the Common Ground Alliance (a group of damage prevention professionals), and other stakeholders to inform the public about the importance of notifying 811 to avoid unintentional damage.
The resolution includes "Whereas" clauses highlighting facts, such as:
- Underground utilities (e.g., pipelines, electric, gas, telecom, water, and sewer lines) are often buried shallowly and damaged by unnotified digging.
- April starts the peak excavation season.
- Past laws (e.g., 2002 requirement for a national number and 2011 Pipeline Safety Act) strengthened the 811 program by removing exemptions for government entities.
- Recent data shows that failing to notify 811 causes 26% of damages, with landscaping being a common activity leading to such incidents.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This is a non-binding resolution and introduces no changes to existing laws. It references prior legislation, such as the 2002 mandate for a national "One Call" number by the Department of Transportation and Federal Communications Commission, and the 2011 Pipeline Safety Act, which expanded notification requirements, but does not amend or alter them.
Potential Impacts
- On Citizens: Could reduce risks to homeowners and workers by promoting awareness, potentially lowering incidents of utility damage, service outages, environmental spills, injuries, and deaths from excavation accidents.
- On Government Agencies: Indirectly supports agencies like the Department of Transportation and Federal Communications Commission in maintaining the 811 program; may encourage state-level enforcement of safe digging rules without adding new burdens.
- On Utility Infrastructure: Helps protect critical underground networks, minimizing repair costs and disruptions for services like electricity, gas, water, and telecom.
- International Relations: No direct impact, as it focuses on domestic U.S. infrastructure safety.
Overall, the resolution fosters voluntary compliance and education, potentially decreasing the roughly thousands of annual damages reported by the Common Ground Alliance.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Homeowners and Excavators: Directly encouraged to use 811, benefiting from safer digging practices.
- Utility Companies and Infrastructure Operators: Gain from reduced damages to pipelines, wires, and lines, preserving service integrity.
- Common Ground Alliance and Damage Prevention Professionals: Supported in their advocacy and campaigns like "Contact 811 Before You Dig."
- State "One Call" Systems: Bolstered as key partners in utility location services.
- Government Entities: Including the Senate sponsors (bipartisan group: Sens. Young, Peters, Cruz, Cantwell), Department of Transportation, and Federal Communications Commission, which oversee related programs.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: As a simple resolution agreed to by the Senate, it has no force of law and cannot enforce actions; it serves as a symbolic statement to guide public behavior.
- Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's power to express policy preferences under Article I, without infringing on individual rights or federalism principles.
- Political: Demonstrates bipartisan consensus on infrastructure safety, potentially influencing future funding or regulations for utility protection; highlights ongoing concerns from 2023-2024 data on excavation risks, but avoids controversy by focusing on education rather than mandates.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI], Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX], Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]
Recent Actions
- 2025-04-07: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2459; text: CR S2458-2459)
- 2025-04-07: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.
- 2025-04-07: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Supporting the goals and ideals of National Safe Digging Month. — issued 2025-04-07 — PDF (3 pages)