Earlier this month, President Trump
signed into law H.R. 582, aka Kari's Law, which requires that callers are able to directly dial 911 from phones that are part of a multi-line telephone system (MLTS). MLTS, which require users to dial an additional number, often 9, to reach an outside line, are common in places such as hotels and offices.
The bill is known as Kari's Law because it is named after Kari Hunt, a woman who was murdered in a Texas hotel room in December 2013. Kari's 9-year-old daughter was also in the hotel at the time and attempted to dial 911 multiple times, but none of the calls went through because the hotel required a prefix to be dialed to reach an outside line.
Kari's Law was sponsored by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and passed both the House and Senate with zero opposition votes.
“Although this law will not reverse the heartbreaking loss of Kari Rene Hunt and all the horrors of that day, her legacy will now live on and safeguard others from experiencing a situation of this magnitude,” Gohmert said in a statement. “Today is monumental. No longer should a child—or anyone, for that matter—pick up the phone to call for help and get nothing.”