OLR Report 2015-R-0179 explores the issue of direct 9-1-1 dialing from multi-line telephone systems. This issue gained national attention after a Texas woman, Kari Rene Hunt, was murdered in a hotel bathroom while her nine-year old daughter tried repeatedly to dial 9-1-1, not realizing that she had to dial "9" first to reach an outside line. Texas went on to become the first state to require direct 9-1-1 dialing, passing "Kari's Law," which will take effect on September 1, 2015. Similar legislation has been passed in Illinois and Maryland. No legislation requiring direct 9-1-1 dialing has ever been proposed in Connecticut.
Read the full report here.
