A law initially proposed in Texas in soon to be on its way to becoming a federal law. Kari’s Law, which is named after Kari Hunt (who was murdered by her estranged husband while in a hotel room in 2013), was passed by the state Legislature just last year.
The law requires that all business, including hotels, have phones available to dial 911 right away without having to also dial an extra number.
Hunt’s daughter, who was nine-years-old at the time of the incident, attempted to dial 911 after her mother was murdered; however, she was unable to get through due to the fact that she had no idea she needed to dial an additional number in order to successfully reach an outside line.
The United States Senate passed Kari’s Law this week as a bill that will essentially amend the Communication Act of 1934. The United States House, however, still needs to pass it before the law can officially become federal.
Thank you for visiting Gabriella Young’s blog. I am an Austin criminal defense lawyer. I write about local laws, events and news to keep Austinites informed.