[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 132, 115th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


Public Law 115-127
115th Congress

An Act


 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require multi-line telephone
systems to have a configuration that permits users to directly initiate
a call to 9-1-1 without dialing any additional digit, code, prefix, or
post-fix, and for other purposes. <>

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, <>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Kari's Law Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. CONFIGURATION OF MULTI-LINE TELEPHONE SYSTEMS FOR DIRECT
DIALING OF 9-1-1.

(a) In General.--Title VII of the Communications Act of 1934 (47
U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 721. <>  CONFIGURATION OF MULTI-
LINE TELEPHONE SYSTEMS FOR DIRECT DIALING
OF 9-1-1.

``(a) System Manufacture, Importation, Sale, and Lease.--A person
engaged in the business of manufacturing, importing, selling, or leasing
multi-line telephone systems may not manufacture or import for use in
the United States, or sell or lease or offer to sell or lease in the
United States, a multi-line telephone system, unless such system is pre-
configured such that, when properly installed in accordance with
subsection (b), a user may directly initiate a call to 9-1-1 from any
station equipped with dialing facilities, without dialing any additional
digit, code, prefix, or post-fix, including any trunk-access code such
as the digit `9', regardless of whether the user is required to dial
such a digit, code, prefix, or post-fix for other calls.
``(b) System Installation, Management, and Operation.--A person
engaged in the business of installing, managing, or operating multi-line
telephone systems may not install, manage, or operate for use in the
United States such a system, unless such system is configured such that
a user may directly initiate a call to 9-1-1 from any station equipped
with dialing facilities, without dialing any additional digit, code,
prefix, or post-fix, including any trunk-access code such as the digit
`9', regardless of whether the user is required to dial such a digit,
code, prefix, or post-fix for other calls.
``(c) On-Site Notification.--A person engaged in the business of
installing, managing, or operating multi-line telephone systems shall,
in installing, managing, or operating such a system for use in the
United States, configure the system to provide a notification

[[Page 327]]

to a central location at the facility where the system is installed or
to another person or organization regardless of location, if the system
is able to be configured to provide the notification without an
improvement to the hardware or software of the system.
``(d) Effect on State Law.--Nothing in this section is intended to
alter the authority of State commissions or other State or local
agencies with jurisdiction over emergency communications, if the
exercise of such authority is not inconsistent with this Act.
``(e) <>  Enforcement.--This section shall be
enforced under title V, except that section 501 applies only to the
extent that such section provides for the punishment of a fine.

``(f) Multi-Line Telephone System Defined.--In this section, the
term `multi-line telephone system' has the meaning given such term in
section 6502 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012
(47 U.S.C. 1471).''.
(b) <>  Effective Date.--The amendment made
by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to a multi-line telephone
system that is manufactured, imported, offered for first sale or lease,
first sold or leased, or installed after the date that is 2 years after
the date of the enactment of this Act.

Approved February 16, 2018.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 582 (S. 123):
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SENATE REPORTS: No. 115-124 (Comm. on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation) accompanying S. 123.
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
Vol. 163 (2017):
Jan. 23, considered and passed
House.
Vol. 164 (2018):
Feb. 5, considered and passed
Senate, amended.
Feb. 8, House concurred in Senate
amendment.