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House adopts ‘Lulu’s Law’ to let emergency managers use Amber-style alerts after unprovoked shark attacks
Summary
The Alabama House passed House Bill 437, known as “Lulu’s Law,” after survivor Lulu Gribben told members about her 2024 shark attack. The bill authorizes, under strict conditions, emergency officials to use an Amber-style alert geofenced to beaches after an unprovoked shark attack in close proximity to shore.
The Alabama House passed House Bill 437 on a voice/roll vote after testimony from shark-attack survivor Lulu Gribben and floor debate.
The bill, carried in the House by Representative David Faulkner, authorizes emergency management professionals, in coordination with local officials and the state department named in the statute, to use an Amber-style alert with geofencing when there has been an “unprovoked shark attack in close proximity to a shoreline or coastline.” Representative Faulkner said the measure is intended to give emergency responders “a tool in their toolbox,” not to create a new alert system.
Nut graf: The bill was prompted by Gribben’s June 2024 attack off a Florida beach; she told the House she had been bitten, intubated and later extubated. Supporters argued the alert could warn nearby beachgoers when there is an immediate and localized risk; more than one member pressed for clarity on costs and implementation. Representative Faulkner and sponsors said the alert would be used only in narrow circumstances and that professionals would set geofence parameters with local officials.
Representative Faulkner described the bill’s amended language in public safety committee: it restricts use to unprovoked attacks “in close proximity” to shore, requires emergency-management oversight, and allows geofencing and targeted delivery of the alert. Representative Moore asked whether a fiscal note existed; Faulkner said none had been required and that the Amber Alert infrastructure would be used rather than building a new statewide system.
During floor debate lawmakers expressed emotion and support after Gribben’s statement. Gribben told members, “I made it,” describing waking up intubated and the changes in her life after the attack. Members noted requests from other state legislative leaders to review the text for possible use in their states. The House adopted the committee substitute and then passed HB 437 as substituted; the clerk recorded “102 ayes, 0 nays.”
The bill leaves decisions about when to trigger alerts to trained emergency-management professionals working with local officials and the designated department; sponsors said policies and operational rules will be developed by those agencies. Implementation details, including any training, reporting requirements, or after-action reviews, will depend on administrative rules and interagency coordination after the law takes effect.
The bill’s passage follows public testimony and visible attention from federal and state elected officials; sponsors said the measure is narrowly tailored to avoid overuse of Amber-style alerts while giving first responders one more option for rapid public notification.
Votes and next steps: HB 437 passed as substituted on the House floor; the bill will proceed as required by legislative process for enrollment and transmittal to the Senate or the governor as applicable.
