Kari's Law Reporting Act

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5201) to direct the Federal Communications Commission to publish a report on implementation of the Kari's Law Act of 2017, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, H.R. 5201, Kari's Law Reporting Act, led by Representative Matsui.

Kari's Law, enacted in 2018, was named in honor of Kari Hunt, who was killed in a motel room in Marshall, Texas, in 2013. Ms. Hunt's 9-year- old daughter tried to call 911 for help four times from the motel room phone, but the call did not go through because the phone system required dialing 9 for an outbound call before dialing 911.

The law requires multiline telephone systems, such as those in offices, campuses, and hotels, to allow direct 911 dialing without extra digits when a 911 call is made. This legislation would require the FCC to issue a report within 180 days to determine the extent to which multiline telephone system manufacturers are complying with Kari's Law Act of 2017. Requiring these systems in large buildings or campuses will help save lives in case of an emergency.

This legislation has strong bipartisan support. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support of this bill and Ms. Matsui for her work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5201, the Kari's Law Reporting Act. This is an important bill that follows up on legislation signed into law in 2018.

The original Kari's Law was prompted by the tragic story of a young child unable to reach 911 when it mattered most. During what became a fatal domestic dispute in a hotel room, she repeatedly dialed 911 to call for help, but the call was never connected because the hotel system required guests to dial a prefix to make an external call. The young daughter of the victim did exactly as she was taught and correctly dialed 911, but that one digit ultimately stood between Kari Hunt and the help that she needed that day.

Kari's Law requires providers of multiline telephone systems, which serve entities like office buildings and hotels, to reconfigure their systems to enable callers to simply dial 911 without a prefix to reach emergency assistance.

Today, however, it is evident that providers have yet to fully comply with Kari's Law, and so this legislation will provide Congress and the FCC with the tools necessary to track down delinquent providers and ensure they comply with the law. This is critically important so that tragedies like that of Kari Hunt do not happen again.

I thank Ranking Member Matsui and Representative Bilirakis for their leadership on this important bill, and I urge my colleagues to support

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 5201, the Kari's Law Reporting Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I rise in support of H.R. 5201, Kari's Law Reporting Act.

In an emergency, there is no room for confusion or delay. Every second counts, and every American should have confidence that when they dial 911, help is on the way.

This is why Congressman Bilirakis and I partnered in this bipartisan bill. It builds upon Kari's Law, which Congress passed in 2018, to require multiline telephone systems to allow direct dialing of 911 without needing to dial an extra digit.

That law came from the tragic murder of Kari Hunt when her daughter couldn't reach emergency services from a hotel phone because she didn't know she needed to dial an extra 9 first.

Our bill helps ensure the law is working as intended by directing the FCC to report on compliance in hotels, offices, and facilities nationwide.

That kind of accountability matters, and we need to make sure these lifesaving protections are being followed and practiced.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the Kari's Law Reporting Act.