[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 6, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             KARI'S LAW ACT

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Senate passage of 
Kari's Law Act of 2017.
  In December 2013, Kari Hunt Dunn was attacked by her estranged 
husband in a hotel room. In an attempt to help her mother, Kari's 9-
year-old daughter tried to contact the police by dialing 9-1-1. 
Tragically, the call failed to go through because Kari's daughter did 
not dial ``9'' to reach an outside line before entering 9-1-1. Kari did 
not survive the attack.
  Kari's murder brought a serious public safety problem to light. 
Whether you are a worker at a big office building or a family staying 
in a hotel, dialing 9-1-1 should always connect you with people who can 
help.
  By passing Kari's Law, we will enact a national standard to ensure 
that multiline telephone equipment must be capable of supporting the 
ability to directly reach emergency services by dialing 9-1-1 and that 
those responsible for installing, maintaining, and operating the system 
are required to ensure that simply dialing 9-1-1, a critically 
important capability, is available for use in emergency situations.
  Ensuring multiline telephones are installed with the capability to 
contact emergency responders by dialing 9-1-1 will help prevent 
tragedies like the one that Kari Hunt Dunn endured.

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