Kari's Law Act of 2017

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on February 5, 2018. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Kari's Law Act of 2017

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit businesses from manufacturing or importing for use in the United States, or selling or leasing in the United States, a multi-line telephone system unless it is pre-configured to allow users to directly initiate a call to 9-1-1 (without dialing any additional digit, code, prefix, or post-fix, including any trunk-access code such as the digit "9") from any station equipped with dialing facilities.

Businesses are prohibited from installing, managing, or operating multi-line telephone systems without such a direct 9-1-1 call configuration.

Businesses installing, managing, or operating such systems for use in the United States must configure the systems to provide a notification 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 so configured without an improvement to the hardware or software.

[115th Congress Public Law 127]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 132 STAT. 326]]

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. <<NOTE: Feb. 16, 2018 -  [H.R. 582]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Kari's Law 
Act of 2017. 47 USC 609 note.>> 
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. <<NOTE: 47 USC 623 note.>>  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 132 STAT. 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) <<NOTE: Applicability.>>  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) <<NOTE: 47 USC 623 note.>>  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):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

SENATE REPORTS: No. 115-124 (Comm. on Science, Commerce, 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.

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