BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 811|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
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|327-4478 | |
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CONSENT
Bill No: AB 811
Author: Lowenthal (D), et al.
Amended: 6/3/13 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE GOVERNANCE & FINANCE COMMITTEE : 7-0, 7/3/13
AYES: Wolk, Knight, Beall, DeSaulnier, Emmerson, Hernandez, Liu
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-0, 5/13/13 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT : Excavations: regional notification center system:
contractor
certification
SOURCE : Underground Service Alert of Northern California and
Nevada
Underground Service Alert of Southern California
DIGEST : This bill requires regional notification centers
(RNCs) to post on their Internet Web sites, information provided
by operators and excavators relating to violations of specified
state laws governing subsurface excavations.
ANALYSIS : Existing law out-lines a sequential system to aid
excavators in locating subsurface installations. Entities that
own, operate, or maintain subsurface installations must join a
non-profit RNC to provide advance warning of under-ground
installations close to proposed excavation projects. Except in
an emergency, anyone planning to dig in an area with underground
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AB 811
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installations must notify the appropriate RNC at least two days
before breaking ground and, if practical, must mark the area to
be excavated in white paint. The potentially affected
underground installation operators must locate and field mark
the approximate location of their installations. Excavators
must then determine the ex-act location of the subsurface
installations by using hand tools, with limited exceptions, to
excavate within the field markings.
This bill:
1.Requires RNCs to compile information provided by operators and
excavators regarding facility events and make that information
available in annual reports and on their Internet Web sites.
2.Defines "facility event" as the occurrence of excavator
downtime, damages, near misses, and violations.
3.Defines "statewide information" as information submitted by
operators and excavators using the California Regional Common
Ground Alliance's Virtual Private Damage Information Reporting
Tool. Supplied data must comply with specified provisions in
the Common Ground Alliance's most recent Best Practices
Handbook.
Comments
According to the Senate Governance and Finance analysis, despite
state laws governing underground excavations, many excavators
fail to contact RNCs before they dig or improperly excavate
around marked underground facilities. Excavation accidents can
damage vital infrastructure, disrupt utility services, harm the
environment, impose substantial costs on underground facility
operators, and sometimes cause injuries or deaths. Because of
these threats, California needs to establish a statewide system
for collecting and reporting information about excavation
incidents. Information currently gathered by state and federal
entities is fragmented, inconsistent, and not completely
available to the public. Gathering statewide data about
excavation incidents will help the Legislature identify
deficiencies in existing law and will inform future public
policy decisions about excavation safety rules and enforcement.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local:
No
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SUPPORT : (Verified 7/8/13)
Underground Service Alert of Northern California and Nevada
(co-source)
Underground Service Alert of Southern California (co-source)
AT&T
California Legislative Conference of the Plumbing, Heating and
Piping Industry
National Electrical Contractors Association
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Southern California Edison
Western Line Constructors
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-0, 5/13/13
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom, Blumenfield,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier,
Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray,
Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, Jones,
Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Maienschein, Mansoor,
Medina, Melendez, Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin, Muratsuchi,
Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, V. Manuel
P�rez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Skinner, Stone,
Ting, Torres, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk,
Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Allen, Ammiano, Holden, Lowenthal, Vacancy
AB:ej 7/9/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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