ALTON, IL – In response to an emergency situation where a young child was unable to reach 
emergency services, legislation supported by State Rep. Dan Beiser, D-Alton, to make it easier to dial 9-1-1 without worrying about a special code to dial out from an office or phone system, was signed into law last week.
“We are taught from a young age to dial 9-1-1 during an emergency,” Beiser said. “When the seconds count, there should be nothing standing in the way from someone who needs assistance.”
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Beiser helped pass Senate Bill 3313 to require private businesses that use a switchboard service to allow a caller dialing 9-1-1 to be connected without first dialing any number or set of numbers. The bill was introduced after a young girl in Texas tried to call 9-1-1 from a motel, where her mother had been attacked. The girl was unable to be connected to emergency services because she didn’t know she had to dial 9 first, and her mother did not survive.
“The terror this little girl in Texas went through when she couldn’t reach emergency services could have easily happened here in Illinois,” Beiser said. “Thanks to this legislation, if a similar emergency situation happens in the future, a person will be able to quickly reach 9-1-1 dispatchers.
For any questions or concerns about state-related issues, please contact Beiser’s constituent service office at 618-465-5900.
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