KARI'S LAW

"On December 1, 2013 Kari Rene Hunt was murdered by her estranged husband whom she was intending to divorce. She agreed to meet him at a local motel to leave their children with him for a short visitation while he was in town. Her estranged husband ambushed her in the motel room and cornered her in the restroom. During the struggle and resulting death of Kari, her oldest daughter, age 9, (name with held for privacy) attempted to dial 911 from the motel room phone. She followed instructions as taught by her mother on the way to call for help but she was never instructed that in some hotels and motels you must first dial a "9" and then 911."

Kari's Law has been recently enacted in such states as Texas. The legislation hopes to ensure that anyone who dials 9-1-1 will reach emergency personnel, even if the phone typically requires that user to dial ‘9’ to get an outside line.

In NY, only Suffolk County has enacted such legislation. See Suffolk County, NY Emergency Services, Article 436.

On the national level, the US House of Representatives passed a similar bill in May 2016 but it is still in the US Senate.