84R6959 AJZ-F
 
  By: Eltife S.B. No. 788
 
 
 
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.