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The legislation listed below includes key 2017 enactments, excluding appropriations. See NCSL's 911 Legislation Database for a more complete list of 2017 introduced and enacted 911 legislation.
Introduction
Every year, states pass a number of pieces of legislation aimed at improving the operations of emergency communications and continuing to bring them into today’s digital mobile society.
There were fewer enactments addressing next generation 911 (NG911) than in past years. NG911 allows users to send text, video and picture messages in addition to making phone calls to 911. States that enacted legislation related to NG911 include Iowa, Montana and New Mexico. According to the 2017 National 911 Progress Report, 20 states have adopted a statewide NG911 plan and 22 reported being in the installation and testing phase of NG911 component implementation.
A significant trend in state legislation this year dealt with the consolidation of public safety answering points (PSAPs). Arkansas restricted the establishment of new PSAPs and Illinois created grants to offset the costs associated with onsolidation. Missouri required the development of a PSAP consolidation plan based on a study commissioned by the state.
Maine and Utah both enacted legislation requiring that multiple-line telephone systems allow a user to directly dial 911 without having to dial any other number first. These bills are known as Kari’s law, named for a woman who was killed in a motel room. Her young daughter attempted to dial 911 but the call did not go through because she did not dial ‘9’ for an outbound line.
Continuing a trend from recent years, a few states enacted legislation addressing immunity for individuals who report drug and alcohol overdoses. Montana and South Carolina are among the states that enacted legislation in this area.
The legislation listed below includes key 2017 enactments, excluding appropriations. See NCSL's 911 Legislation Database for a more complete list of 2017 introduced and enacted 911 legislation.