In May of 2015, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 788 making a new Texas law. This bill is known as Kari’s Law and affects all multi-line phone systems that require a prefix before dialing out (for example, having to dial ‘9’ to dial out). This law requires direct access to a 9-1-1 service. Bill 788 was signed into law due to a murder that happened in a motel room in Marshall, Texas. Kari Hunt was murdered in a room and her 9-year-old daughter tried to call 9-1-1. Her daughter never got through to 9-1-1 responders due to the fact that she was unaware she needed to dial ‘9’ first. The Governor’s office believes that this new law could potentially save lives and reduce response times for emergency calls.
Hotels and businesses are the establishments most affected by the enactment of this new law. Here at ProTel Support, we are able to make your system adhere to these new laws. We can work on most phone systems. In most cases we can help by simply upgrading the software or making a few minor programming changes. In some instances, we may have to replace the phone system – but we are able to work with your budget! By adjusting your emergency lines sooner, your business will avoid charges and fines enforced by the State of Texas.
Kari’s Law went into full effect requiring all systems to have direct 9-1-1 access on September 1st, 2016. You can learn more about Kari’s Law at http://www.texas911.org/KarisLaw .