Sen. Cruz Applauds Senate’s Passage of Kari’s Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed “Kari’s Law,” which allows multiline telephone systems to dial 911 without requiring extra digits to reach outside lines. The bill was originally introduced in February of 2016 by U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Deb Fisher (R-Neb.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). “Kari’s Law” is named in honor of Kari Hunt of Marshall, Texas. In 2013, Hunt was killed in her hotel room after her daughter was unable to reach emergency responders due to the hotel phone system's requirement of dialing an extra “9” to reach 911.

“I am grateful my colleagues in the Senate have come together to pass this bill that has the potential to save many lives,” Sen. Cruz said. “No family should have to endure the grief inflicted upon the Hunt family, when technology that was supposed to be there in Kari's time of need was not easily accessible. I am a proud supporter of this bipartisan bill that will make dialing 911 easier and I hope it quickly becomes law.”

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