| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to requiring direct access to 9-1-1 service from certain |
|
|
telephone systems and equivalent systems that use Internet Protocol |
|
|
enabled 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) "9-1-1 service" means a communications service |
|
|
that connects users to a public safety answering point through a |
|
|
9-1-1 system. |
|
|
(2) "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 or |
|
|
controlled telephone switch. |
|
|
(3) "Commission" means the Commission on State |
|
|
Emergency Communications. |
|
|
(4) "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. |
|
|
(5) "Internet Protocol enabled service" has the |
|
|
meaning assigned by Section 51.002, Utilities Code. |
|
|
(6) "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 owns or controls a telephone system or an equivalent system |
|
|
that uses Internet Protocol enabled service and provides outbound |
|
|
dialing capacity or access shall configure the telephone system or |
|
|
equivalent system to allow a person initiating a 9-1-1 call on the |
|
|
system to directly access 9-1-1 service by dialing the digits 9-1-1 |
|
|
without an additional code, digit, prefix, postfix, or trunk-access |
|
|
code. |
|
|
(d) A business service user that provides residential or |
|
|
business facilities, owns or controls a telephone system or an |
|
|
equivalent system that uses Internet Protocol enabled service, and |
|
|
provides outbound dialing capacity or access shall configure the |
|
|
telephone system or equivalent system to provide a notification to |
|
|
a central location on the site of the residential or business |
|
|
facility when a person within the residential or business facility |
|
|
dials 9-1-1 if the system is able to be configured to provide the |
|
|
notification without an improvement to the system's hardware. This |
|
|
subsection does not require a business service user to have a person |
|
|
available at the central location to receive a notification. |
|
|
(e) The commission or the applicable emergency |
|
|
communication district shall grant a one-year waiver of the |
|
|
requirements under this section to a business service user if: |
|
|
(1) the requirements would be unduly and unreasonably |
|
|
cost prohibitive for a business service user to comply with; and |
|
|
(2) the business service user provides an affidavit |
|
|
not later than September 1 of each year stating: |
|
|
(A) the manufacturer and model number of the |
|
|
telephone system or equivalent system that needs to be reprogrammed |
|
|
or replaced; |
|
|
(B) that the business service user made a good |
|
|
faith attempt to reprogram or replace the system; and |
|
|
(C) if the telephone system or equivalent system |
|
|
does not comply with Subsection (c), that the business service user |
|
|
agrees to place an instructional sticker, indicating that the |
|
|
telephone is unable to directly dial 9-1-1 and providing |
|
|
instructions for accessing 9-1-1 in case of an emergency, |
|
|
immediately adjacent to each telephone that is accessed using the |
|
|
noncompliant system. |
|
|
(f) The instructional sticker described by Subsection |
|
|
(e)(2)(C) must be printed in at least 16-point boldface type in a |
|
|
contrasting color using a font that is easily readable. |
|
|
(g) 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. |
|
|
(h) 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. |
|
|
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 Section 771A.001, 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. |