[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S10533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           E-911 ACT OF 1999

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate now 
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 255, S. 800.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 800) to promote and enhance public safety 
     through the use of 9-1-1 as the universal emergency 
     assistance number, further deployment of wireless 9-1-1 
     service, support of States in upgrading 9-1-1 capabilities 
     and related functions, encouragement of construction and 
     operation of seamless, ubiquitous, and reliable networks for 
     personal wireless services, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill 
which was reported from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, with amendments.
  Mr. BROWNBACK. I ask unanimous consent that the committee amendments 
be agreed to, the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendments were agreed to.
  The bill (S. 800), as amended, was read the third time and passed, as 
follows:
  [The bill was not available for printing. It will appear in a future 
issue of the Record.]


                           E-911 ACT OF 1999

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I am very pleased that the Senate has 
unanimously passed the ``e-911 Act of 1999.''
  The e-911 bill is simple--it makes 911 the universal emergency 
number. This bill will help save lives and is supported by a broad 
range of public safety, emergency medical, consumer and citizen groups. 
These groups represent the operators and users of the 911 system, those 
with direct experience with the problems with today's system.
  Over seventy million Americans carry wireless telephones. Many carry 
them for safety reasons. People count on those phones to be their 
lifelines in emergencies. In fact, 98,000 people are counting on their 
wireless phones in emergencies everyday. That is how many wireless 911 
calls are made a day, 98,000. But there's a problem. In many parts of 
our country, when the frantic parent or the suddenly disabled older 
person punches 911 on the wireless phone, nothing happens. In those 
locations, 911 is not the emergency number. The ambulance and the 
police won't be coming. You may be facing a terrible emergency, but 
you're on your own, because you don't know the local number to call for 
emergencies.
  ``The e-911 Act of 1999'' will help fix that problem by making 911 
the number to call in an emergency--anytime, everywhere. The rule in 
America ought to be uniform and simple--if you have an emergency, 
wherever you are, dial 911.
  More and more, wireless communications is the critical link that can 
help get emergency medical care to those in the ``golden hour'' when 
timely care can mean the difference between life and death.
  I thank my colleagues for their hard work in passing this critical 
legislation.

                          ____________________