Call or E-mail Lawmakers TODAY. Tell them to vote YES on SB 18-167!
We need your help. The Colorado Contractor Association (CCA) has worked closely with a broad coalition of interests to make changes and updates to the 811 program. Please call and email members of the Senate Finance Committee.
Senator Jim Smallwood, Vice Chair
Phone: 303-866-4869, E-mail: Jim.smallwood.senate@state.co.us
Senator Lois Court
Phone: 303-866-4861, E-mail: Lois.court.senate@state.co.us
Senator Cherri Jahn
Phone: 303-866-4856, E-mail: Cherri.jahn.senate@state.co.us
Senator Jack Tate
Phone: 303-866-4883, E-mail: Jack.tate.senate@state.co.us
About SB 18-167
Colorado’s 811 One-Call Program was created in 1981 to prevent injury to persons and damage to property resulting from damage to underground facilities during excavation.
The 811 law established a single statewide notification system administered by an association of the owners and operators of underground facilities. Through the notification association, excavators obtain crucial information regarding the location of underground facilities prior to excavation, thereby greatly reducing risks of injuries or damages.
In a Nutshell, the bill updates best practices, provides for tier transition, and creates an enforcement provision…
SB 18-167 updates current law to address industry advancements and best practices:
- Adds a requirement that all newly installed facilities are locatable, by which Colorado can make it easier to find – and protect – those facilities the next time excavation is required
- Subsurface utility engineering: For government-owned projects, establishes guidelines on the information to be included in bid plans stamped by a licensed civil engineer for horizontal projects. This information improves construction plans by reducing the number of unknowns prior to construction, thereby reducing the amount of risk that must be priced into a contractor’s bid while also reducing the number of times projects are delayed due to a contractor encountering an unexpected utility.
- Clarifies duties of owners and operators in marking the location of facilities and the duties of excavators in having adequate markings throughout the excavation period.
Provides for Tier Membership Transition…
- Phases in a true “one-call” system by eliminating the tiered membership provisions, (within two years after the effective date of the bill) and removes the exemption for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
- Specifies that current Tier-2 members will begin to receive the same electronic notifications as Tier-1 members from Colorado 811 beginning on the effective date of the bill but no later than January 1, 2019, at no cost for two years.
- A true “one-call” system improves safety by ensuring all owners and operators receive notification of excavation activities from the 811 Notification Association. It will also improve efficiency: the current system adds time and confusion to the pre-excavation notification process by requiring excavators to make multiple calls to facility owners.
Creates an Enforcement Provision…
- Creates an Underground Damage Prevention Safety Commission composed of representatives from local government, owners or operators, excavators and the Chief Executive Officer of the Notification Association.
- Authorizes the Safety Commission to accept and review complaints and impose penalties that may include remedial action such as training and education as well as penalties.
- Does not impact any person’s ability to pursue civil remedies and reasonable attorney fees for personal injury or property damage.
- Establishes an even playing field and applies enforcement equally to all participants of the state’s One-Call Program while acknowledging local government authority to enforce its own program requirements.
Please call members of the Senate Finance Committee and ask lawmakers to vote YES on SB 18-167.