III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 476 

Designating April 2018 as ‘‘National 9–1–1 Education Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 18, 2018 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Mr. BURR) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating April 2018 as ‘‘National 9–1–1 Education 

Month’’. 

Whereas 9–1–1 is recognized throughout the United States 

as the number to call in an emergency to receive immediate help from law enforcement agencies, fire services, 

emergency medical services, and other appropriate emergency response entities; 

Whereas, in 1967, the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice recommended 

that a ‘‘single number should be established’’ nationwide 

for reporting emergency situations, and various Federal 

Government agencies and governmental officials supported and encouraged the recommendation; 

Whereas, in 1968, the American Telephone and Telegraph 

Company (commonly known as ‘‘AT&T’’) announced that 


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it would establish the digits 9–1–1 as the emergency code 

throughout the United States; 

Whereas Congress designated 9–1–1 as the national emergency call number in the Wireless Communications and 

Public Safety Act of 1999 (Public Law 106–81; 113 

Stat. 1286); 

Whereas section 102 of the ENHANCE 911 Act of 2004 (47 

U.S.C. 942 note) declared an enhanced 9–1–1 system to 

be ‘‘a high national priority’’ and part of ‘‘our Nation’s 

homeland security and public safety’’; 

Whereas it is important that policymakers at all levels of government understand the importance of 9–1–1, how the 

9–1–1 system works, and the steps that are needed to 

modernize the 9–1–1 system; 

Whereas the 9–1–1 system is the connection between the eyes 

and ears of the public and the emergency response system in the United States and is often the first place 

emergencies of all magnitudes are reported, making 9–1– 

1 a significant homeland security asset; 

Whereas nearly 6,000 9–1–1 public safety answering points 

serve more than 3,000 counties and parishes throughout 

the United States; 

Whereas telecommunicators at public safety answering points 

answer more than 200,000,000 9–1–1 calls each year in 

the United States; 

Whereas a growing number of 9–1–1 calls are made using 

wireless and Internet Protocol-based communications 

services; 

Whereas a growing segment of the population of the United 

States, including individuals who are deaf or hard of 

hearing or who suffer from speech or language disorders, 


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autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, or anxiety, is 

increasingly communicating with nontraditional text, 

video, and instant messaging communications services 

and expects those services to be able to connect directly 

to 9–1–1; 

Whereas Next Generation 9-1-1 promises enhanced accessibility, interoperability, flexibility, and features, as well as 

network resiliency and reliability; 

Whereas the growth in usage and diversification of means of 

communication to 9–1–1 services, including mobile and 

Internet Protocol-based systems, impose unique challenges for accessing 9–1–1 and, thus, require increased 

education and awareness about the emergency communications capabilities of these different methods of communication; 

Whereas numerous other ‘‘N–1–1’’ and 800 number services 

exist for nonemergency situations, including 2–1–1, 3–1– 

1, 5–1–1, 7–1–1, 8–1–1, poison control centers, and 

mental health hotlines, and the public needs to be educated on when to use those services in addition to or instead of 9–1–1; 

Whereas international visitors and immigrants make up an 

increasing percentage of the population of the United 

States each year, and visitors and immigrants may have 

limited knowledge of the emergency calling system in the 

United States; 

Whereas people of all ages use 9–1–1, and it is critical to 

educate people on the proper use of 9–1–1; 

Whereas senior citizens are highly likely to need to access 9– 

1–1 and many senior citizens are learning to use new 

technology; 


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Whereas thousands of 9–1–1 calls are made every year by 

children properly trained in the use of 9–1–1, which 

saves lives and underscores the critical importance of 

training children early in life about 9–1–1; 

Whereas the 9–1–1 system is often misused, including by the 

placement of prank and nonemergency calls; 

Whereas misuse of the 9–1–1 system results in costly and inefficient use of 9–1–1 and emergency response resources 

and needs to be reduced; 

Whereas parents, teachers, and all other caregivers need to 

play an active role in 9–1–1 education for children, but 

can do so only after first being educated themselves; 

Whereas there are many avenues for 9–1–1 public education, 

including safety fairs, school presentations, libraries, 

churches, businesses, public safety answering point tours 

or open houses, civic organizations, and senior citizen 

centers; 

Whereas children, parents, teachers, and the National Parent 

Teacher Association make vital contributions to the education of children about the importance of 9–1–1 through 

targeted outreach efforts to public and private school systems; 

Whereas the United States should strive to host at least 1 

educational event regarding the proper use of 9–1–1 in 

every school in the country each year; 

Whereas programs to promote proper use of 9–1–1 during 

National 9–1–1 Education Month could include— 

(1) public awareness events, including conferences, 

media outreach, and training activities for parents, teachers, school administrators, other caregivers, and businesses; 


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(2) educational events in schools and other appropriate venues; and 

(3) production and distribution of information about 

the 9–1–1 system designed to educate people of all ages 

on the importance and proper use of 9–1–1; and 

Whereas the people of the United States deserve the best 

education regarding the use of 9–1–1: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates April 2018 as ‘‘National 9–1–1 

3 Education Month’’; and 

4 (2) urges governmental officials, parents, teach5 ers, school administrators, caregivers, businesses, 

6 nonprofit organizations, and the people of the 

7 United States to observe the month with appropriate 

8 ceremonies, training events, and activities. 

Æ 


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