[Senate Report 119-30]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 91
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 119-30
_______________________________________________________________________
LULU'S LAW
__________
R E P O R T
of the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
on
S. 1003
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
June 12, 2025.--Ordered to be printed
_______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
59-010 WASHINGTON : 2025
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
one hundred nineteenth congress
first session
TED CRUZ, Texas, Chairman
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
JERRY MORAN, Kansas EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
TODD YOUNG, Indiana TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
TED BUDD, North Carolina JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
ERIC SCHMITT, Missouri BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico
JOHN CURTIS, Utah JOHN W. HICKENLOOPER, Colorado
BERNIE MORENO, Ohio JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania
TIM SHEEHY, Montana ANDY KIM, New Jersey
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER, Delaware
CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
Brad Grantz, Majority Staff Director
Lila Harper Helms, Democratic Staff Director
Calendar No. 91
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 119-30
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LULU'S LAW
_______
June 12, 2025.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Cruz, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 1003]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to
which was referred the bill (S. 1003) to require the Federal
Communications Commission to issue an order providing that a
shark attack is an event for which a wireless emergency alert
may be transmitted, and for other purposes, having considered
the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and
recommends that the bill do pass.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of S. 1003, Lulu's Law, is to require the
Federal Communications Commission to issue an order providing
that a shark attack is an event for which a wireless emergency
alert may be transmitted.
BACKGROUND AND NEEDS
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in partnership
with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and
wireless providers, manages the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)
system. WEA is a national public warning system that alerts the
public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other
critical situations. WEA alerts are sent by authorized public
safety officials through FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and
Warning System to participating wireless carriers, who then
distribute the alert to compatible mobile devices in the
affected area.\1\
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\1\``Wireless Emergency Alerts,'' Federal Communications Commission
(https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/wireless-emergency-alerts-wea).
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In June 2024, Lulu Gribbin and McCray Faust were attacked
by a shark at Rosemary Beach, Florida, causing Ms. Gribbin to
sustain near-fatal injuries.\2\ Ninety minutes earlier and just
a few miles away, another woman was attacked by a shark and
also suffered severe injuries.\3\ To help prevent future shark
attacks and honor Ms. Gribbin, Senator Britt introduced this
legislation, which would require the FCC to issue an order
providing that a shark attack is an event for which an alert
message may be transmitted via the WEA system.
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\2\Gillian Brooks, ```It Was a Horrific Thing That Happened':
Mountain Brook Mayor Says Community Is Praying for Teens Injured in
Florida Shark Attack,'' WBRC, June 8, 2024, (https://www.wbrc.com/2024/
06/08/two-central-alabama-girls-injured-friday-shark-attack-walton-
county-florida/).
\3\Ashlyn Mitchell, ```Lulu's Law' Introduced for the Second Time
to Warn Beachgoers of Shark Attacks,'' Fox 10 News, March 13, 2025
(https://www.fox10tv.com/2025/03/13/lulus-law-
introduced-second-time-warn-beachgoers-shark-attacks/).
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LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
S. 1003 was introduced on March 12, 2025, by Senator Britt
(for herself and Senators Schatz, Warnock, Fischer, Ricketts,
Capito, Kaine, Tuberville, and Cassidy) and was referred to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate. On March 24, 2025, Senator Coons was added as a
cosponsor. On April 30, 2025, the Committee met in open
Executive Session and, by voice vote, ordered S. 1003 reported
favorably without amendment.
H.R. 2076, a House companion bill to S. 1003, was
introduced on March 11, 2025, by Representative Palmer and was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House
of Representatives. On April 9, 2025, Representative Figures
was added as a cosponsor.
118th Congress
S. 4832, Lulu's Law, was introduced on July 30, 2024, by
Senator Britt (for herself and Senator Capito) and was referred
to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of
the Senate. The bill had six additional cosponsors.
H.R. 9376, a House companion bill to S. 4832, was
introduced on August 16, 2024, by Representative Palmer (for
himself and Representatives Dunn, Sewell, Moore, Strong,
Aderholt, Rogers, and Carl) and was referred to the Committee
on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.
ESTIMATED COSTS
In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget
Office:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
S. 1003 would require the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to issue a rule that shark attacks are an event for which
wireless emergency alerts may be transmitted.
Based on the cost of similar activities, CBO estimates that
the administrative costs to implement S. 1003 would be
insignificant. Because the FCC is authorized to collect fees
each year sufficient to offset the appropriated costs of its
regulatory activities, CBO estimates that the net cost to the
FCC would be negligible, assuming appropriation actions
consistent with that authority.
If the FCC increases annual fee collections to offset the
costs of implementing provisions in the bill, S. 1003 would
increase the cost of an existing private-sector mandate on
entities required to pay those fees. CBO estimates that the
incremental cost of the mandate would be small and would fall
well below the annual threshold established in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) for private-sector mandates ($203
million in 2025, adjusted annually for inflation).
S. 1003 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined
in UMRA.
The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Margot Berman
(for federal costs) and Rachel Austin (for mandates). The
estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director
of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT
Because S. 1003 does not create any new programs, the
legislation will have no additional regulatory impact, and will
result in no additional reporting requirements. The legislation
will have no further effect on the number or types of
individuals and businesses regulated, the economic impact of
such regulation, the personal privacy of affected individuals,
or the paperwork required from such individuals and businesses.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no
provisions contained in the bill, as reported, meet the
definition of congressionally directed spending items under the
rule.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1. Short title.
This section would provide that the bill may be cited as
``Lulu's Law''.
Section 2. Wireless emergency alerts.
This section would define the term ``Alert Message'' and
would require that no later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the FCC issue an order to provide that a
shark attack is an event for which an Alert Message may be
transmitted.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee states that the
bill as reported would make no change to existing law.
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