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Congressional Daily Record
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April 15, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSENATE RESOLUTION 673—SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL SAFE
DIGGING MONTH
Mr. YOUNG (for himself, Mr. Peters, Mr. Cruz, and Ms. Cantwell) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 673
Whereas, each year, the underground utility infrastructure
of the United States, including pipelines, electric, gas,
telecommunications, fiber, water, sewer, and cable television
lines, is jeopardized by unintentional damage caused by those
who fail to have underground utility lines located prior to
digging;
Whereas some utility lines are buried only a few inches
underground, making the lines easy to strike, even during
shallow digging projects;
Whereas digging prior to having underground utility lines
located often results in unintended consequences, such as
service interruption, environmental damage, personal injury,
and even death;
Whereas the month of April marks the beginning of the peak
period during which excavation projects are carried out
around the United States;
Whereas, in 2002, Congress required the Department of
Transportation and the Federal Communications Commission to
establish a 3-digit, nationwide, toll-free number to be used
by State “One Call” systems to provide information on
underground utility lines;
Whereas, in 2005, the Federal Communications Commission
designated “811” as the nationwide “One Call” number for
homeowners and excavators to use to obtain information on
underground utility lines before conducting excavation
activities (referred to in this preamble as the “ `One
Call'/811 program”);
Whereas the nearly 4,000 damage prevention professionals
who are members of the Common Ground Alliance, States, the
“One Call”/811 program, and other stakeholders who are
dedicated to ensuring public safety, environmental
protection, and the integrity of services, promote the
national “Contact 811 Before You Dig” campaign to increase
public awareness about the importance of homeowners and
excavators contacting 811 to find out the location of
underground utility lines before digging;
Whereas the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job
Creation Act of 2011 (Public Law 112-90; 125 Stat. 1904)
affirmed and expanded the “One Call”/811 program by
eliminating exemptions given to local and State government
agencies and their contractors regarding notifying “One
Call”/811 centers before digging;
Whereas, according to the 2024 Damage Information Reporting
Tool Report published by the Common Ground Alliance in August
2025—
(1) “No notification to the 811 center” remains the
number 1 top root cause of damage;
(2) failure to notify 811 prior to digging contributed to
25 percent of damages; and
(3) fencing and landscaping are the top types of work
performed when professionals cause no-notification damages;
and
Whereas the Common Ground Alliance has designated April as
“National Safe Digging Month” to increase awareness of safe
digging practices across the United States and to celebrate
the anniversary of the designation of 811 as the national
“Contact Before You Dig” number: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Safe Digging
Month;
(2) encourages all homeowners and excavators throughout the
United States to contact 811 by phone or online before
digging; and
(3) encourages all damage prevention stakeholders to help
educate homeowners and excavators throughout the United
States about the importance of contacting 811 to have the
approximate location of buried utilities marked with paint or
flags before digging.