| |
| |
|
|
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. |