Kari's Law Reporting Act
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The bill would require the Federal Communications Commission to publish a report within 180 days on how well phone system manufacturers and vendors have complied with Kari's Law, which mandates direct 911 dialing from office and hotel phone systems.
The report would flag compliance obstacles and recommend policy or legislative fixes, giving Congress and the public a first formal accounting of how the 2017 law is actually being enforced.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would direct the Federal Communications Commission to publish, within 180 days of enactment, a report on its enforcement of the Kari's Law Act of 2017, which requires multi-line telephone systems (such as those used in offices, hotels, and hospitals) to allow direct 911 dialing without a prefix. The report would have to summarize how well manufacturers and vendors have complied, identify obstacles to compliance, and recommend improvements to Commission policy or further legislation if needed. The bill does not itself change the underlying 911-dialing requirement or penalties in Kari's Law; it only creates a one-time reporting obligation on the Commission's enforcement record. It does not grant new enforcement authority or funding.
Key provisions
- 1Would require the FCC to publish a report within 180 days of enactment on enforcement of the direct 911-dialing requirement for multi-line telephone systems
- 2The report must summarize the extent of compliance by multi-line telephone system manufacturers and vendors
- 3The report must identify potential difficulties and obstacles to compliance
- 4The report must recommend ways to improve FCC policy or further legislation if necessary
Who would be affected
The Federal Communications Commission, which must produce the report; manufacturers and vendors of multi-line telephone systems used in workplaces, hotels, and other institutions; and indirectly the public and emergency responders who rely on functioning direct-dial 911 access from those systems.
Why it matters
The report would give Congress, regulators, and the public visibility into whether phone system makers are actually complying with a law meant to save lives during emergencies, and could prompt stronger FCC enforcement or new legislation if gaps are found.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Kari's Law Act of 2017 (section 721 of the Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. 623) (Sec. 2)
Adds a requirement that the FCC report on its enforcement of and compliance with the direct 911-dialing mandate.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Deadline for the FCC to publish the enforcement report
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 5021, the American Decade of Sports Act, would cost $5 million over the 2026–2030 period, with no effect on direct spending, revenues, or the deficit.
CBO estimates that H.R. 5021 would cost approximately $1 million per year — totaling $5 million over the 2026–2030 period — to cover salaries and benefits for three new full-time employees at the State Department's sports diplomacy division and the cost of required reports and strategies. This spending would be subject to the availability of discretionary appropriations (funds that Congress must separately approve each year) and would have no effect on direct (mandatory) spending or revenues. CBO found no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
How implementation would work
The Commission would have 180 days after enactment to prepare and publish the report on its website. It must assess industry-wide compliance by multi-line telephone system manufacturers and vendors with the direct 911-dialing requirement, document any obstacles those companies face, and propose policy or legislative fixes if warranted. The bill sets no further reporting cycle, funding, or enforcement mechanism beyond this single report.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Official CRS summary
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This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to publish a report on the enforcement of Kari’s Law, which requires multiline telephone systems to be preconfigured to allow users to dial 9-1-1 directly from any phone without dialing any additional code or prefix.
The report must include (1) a summary of the extent to which multiline telephone system manufacturers and vendors have complied with the law, and any obstacles to their compliance; and (2) related recommendations for improvements to FCC policy or further legislation, if necessary.
Legislative subjects
Congressional oversight; Emergency communications systems; Government information and archives; Government studies and investigations; Science, Technology, Communications; Service industries; Telephone and wireless communication
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-574