2017 Key Enacted 911 Legislation

1/22/2018

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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

9-1-1 cell phone image.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. 

2017 Key Enacted 911 Legislation

21 states have 1-5 disasters, 20 states have 6-10 disasters and 8 states have 11 or more disasters AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MA MD MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VA WA WV WI WY VT ID PR AS GU MP VI

LEGEND:

States with key enacted 911 legislation in 2017

2017 KEY ENACTED 911 LEGISLATION
STATE BILL SUMMARY

Arkansas

HB 1477 

Requires the designation of a 911 addressing authority to create and maintain street centerline and address point data in a geographic information system format. 
HB 1553  Restricts the establishment of new PSAPs until Jan. 1, 2020, unless it is established as a result of consolidation with or replacement of an existing PSAP.
Connecticut SB 26 

Makes swatting (making a false 911 call to get police to respond to a specific location, a class D felony and ensures that the offender may be held responsible for financial restitution to a municipality or state agency.

Idaho

 SB 1083 

Provides standards of training, education and certification of Emergency Communications Officers. 
Illinois HB 1811

Requires the Department of State Police to make grants to offset the costs associated with 911 system consolidation. Limits municipalities with populations over 500,000 from imposing monthly surcharges over $5 until the end of 2020, then lowering the limit to $2.50. Specifies that no county or 911 Authority may avoid the consolidation requirements by converting primary PSAPs to secondary or virtual answering points. Makes any county or 911 Authority not complying with consolidation requirements ineligible to receive consolidation grant funds or monthly disbursements. Requires the department of state police to develop a directory of all authorized 911 systems in the state. The directory must include information including the phone number of the PSAP, and the standard operating procedure for transferring, forwarding and relaying calls to other 911 systems. Specifies certain allocations from the wireless carrier reimbursement fund. Requires the creation of a Joint Emergency Telephone Board for anyone authority operating a 911 system without a board in place.
Iowa SF 500 

Defines terms including 911 service area, 911 service plan, emergency service internet protocol network, next generation 911 network, originating service provider and voice over internet protocol service. Changes references to “E911” or “enhanced 911” to simply “911.” Allows the allocation of grants to joint 911 service boards and the department of public safety for developing and maintaining GIS data used in support of NG911 networks. Adds an additional member to the 911 communications council.

Maine

 SB 271 

Requires multiline telephone systems to allow for direct dialing to 911. Requires compliance within one year.

Missouri

 SB 503 

Requires the department of public safety conduct a study by Dec. 31, 2017 regarding the number of PSAPs necessary to provide the best 911 technology and service to the state and requires the department issue a PSAP consolidation plan based on the study. Changes the name of the Advisory Committee for 911 Service Oversight to the Missouri 911 Service Board. Reduces the number of board members from 16 to 15. Specifies new powers of the board. The board is required to designate a coordinator who shall be responsible for overseeing state 911 operations.

Montana

HB 61 

Establishes a 911 advisory council and specifies the members and duties of the council. Requires the department of administration adopt certain rules, including baseline NG911 principles to facilitate the deployment of the technology. Establishes a 911 account for collected fees. Specifies distribution of the funds in the account. Requires the awarding of 911 grants annually. Requires $5 million be transferred from the wireless enhanced 911 account into the NG911 infrastructure account, along with other specified transfers. Specifies criteria for the awarding of NG911 infrastructure grants. Defines terms related to NG911. Establishes other 911-related accounts.
HB 333 Enacts the “Help Save Lives from Overdose Act.” Provides immunity from prosecution for a person who seeks medical assistance for someone experiencing an overdose or for someone who experiences an overdose and is in need of medical assistance. The law also specifies that a person's pretrial release, probation, furlough, supervised release, or parole may not be revoked based on an incident for which the person would be immune under the statute. Allows the use of a person’s act of providing assistance as a mitigating factor in a criminal prosecution if immunity under the section doesn’t apply.

Nevada

 AB 151

Permits the voluntary training of law enforcement dispatchers.

New Mexico

 SB 46

Modifies definitions related to 911, including 911 call, and enhanced 911 surcharge. Creates definitions related to NG911. Establishes a prepaid wireless enhanced 911 surcharge. 

North Dakota

HB 1027

Specifies that public safety telecommunicators cannot have felony convictions consistent with the national crime information center standards and that they must meet and maintain minimum qualifications and certifications established by the emergency services communications coordinating committee.
North Dakota HB 1178 Increases the prepaid wireless emergency 911 fee.

South Carolina

 SB 179 

Provides immunity from prosecution for a person who seeks medical assistance for someone experiencing an overdose or for someone who experiences an overdose and is in need of medical assistance. Allows the use of a person’s act of providing assistance as a mitigating factor in a criminal prosecution if immunity under the section doesn’t apply
Texas HCR 140 

Requests the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives to provide for a joint interim legislative study regarding the confidentiality of emergency calls.
Utah

SB 14

Requires multiline telephone systems to allow for direct dialing to 911. Requires that multi-line telephone systems provide specified information to a PSAP, including the room number or equivalent designation of where the call originated.
SB 118 Makes it a criminal offense to make a false report to an emergency response service, including a 911 emergency response service if the report claims that an ongoing emergency exists, the emergency involves  imminent  threat of injury or death, and the emergency is occurring at a specified location. The offense is a  third degree  felony.
SB 198 Modifies definitions related to 911. Changes the composition of the Utah Communications Authority Board. Establishes an operations advisory committee and regional advisory committees. Imposes certain charges on each access line within the state, and provides for the collection of the charges and the distribution of the proceeds of the charges. Directs the State Tax Commission to report on access line providers that are delinquent in paying emergency service charges. 

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