84R6959 AJZ-F
By: Eltife S.B. No. 788
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to requiring direct access to 9-1-1 service from certain
telephone systems and Internet Protocol services.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as Kari's Law.
SECTION 2. Subtitle B, Title 9, Health and Safety Code, is
amended by adding Chapter 771A to read as follows:
CHAPTER 771A. ACCESS TO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES IN
GENERAL
Sec. 771A.001. DIRECT ACCESS TO 9-1-1 SERVICE REQUIRED. (a)
In this chapter:
(1) "Business service user" means a user of business
service that provides telecommunications service, including 9-1-1
service, to end users through a publicly or privately owned
telephone switch.
(2) "Commission" means the Commission on State
Emergency Communications.
(3) "Emergency communication district" means:
(A) a public agency or group of public agencies
acting jointly that provided 9-1-1 service before September 1,
1987, or that had voted or contracted before that date to provide
that service; or
(B) a district created under Subchapter B, C, D,
F, or G, Chapter 772.
(4) "Internet Protocol enabled service" has the
meaning assigned by Section 51.002, Utilities Code.
(5) "Telephone system" includes a multiline telephone
system.
(b) This section applies to the extent the section is not
inconsistent with or preempted by federal law.
(c) Notwithstanding any other law, a business service user
that provides residential or business facilities, owns or leases a
telephone system or an equivalent system that uses Internet
Protocol enabled service, and provides outbound dialing capacity or
access shall configure the system to allow a person initiating a
9-1-1 call on the system to access 9-1-1 service by dialing the
digits 9-1-1 without an additional code, digit, prefix, postfix, or
trunk-access code.
(d) The commission may adopt rules to implement this section
for areas that are governed by a regional plan, and an emergency
communication district may adopt those rules in accordance with
Section 771.062.
(e) On the request of the business service user, the
commission, an emergency communication district, or a home-rule
municipality that independently operates a 9-1-1 system shall
provide assistance to a business service user that is within the
applicable governmental entity's jurisdiction in complying with
this section.
Sec. 771A.002. 9-1-1 ADDRESS INFORMATION FOR CERTAIN
BUSINESS SERVICE USERS. A business service user described by
Section 771A.001(c) must furnish 9-1-1 address information for each
line of the multiline telephone system to the applicable
governmental entity that operates a 9-1-1 system. The 9-1-1
address information must indicate the room number or similar
designation of a portion of the structure or building for each line
of the multiline telephone system.
SECTION 3. A business service user, as defined by Section
771A.001(a), Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act, shall
comply with Sections 771A.001 and 771A.002, Health and Safety Code,
as added by this Act, not later than September 1, 2016.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2015.