Jefferson Reporter

U.S. Senators Katie Britt and Brian Schatz, along with Representative Gary Palmer, have reintroduced Lulu’s Law, a bipartisan piece of legislation named after 16-year-old Lulu Gribbin from Mountain Brook, Alabama. The bill aims to send safety alerts following shark attacks.

In June 2024, Lulu Gribbin was severely injured in a shark attack that also involved McCray Faust. Another woman had been attacked by a shark just 90 minutes earlier and a few miles away. Senator Britt remarked on the incident saying, “Last June, the unthinkable happened when Lulu suffered a devastating shark attack. When Lulu woke up, she said, ‘I made it’ and since then, she has only continued to prove her resilience.” She added that Lulu’s Law is intended to provide timely information to beachgoers to help keep them safe.

The proposed law would direct the Federal Communication Commission to classify shark attacks as events warranting wireless emergency alerts (WEAs). This would allow local, state, tribal, and federal authorities to quickly issue warnings via mobile phone alerts if someone is attacked by a shark or if conditions are conducive to such an event.

Senator Schatz highlighted the importance of beach safety in Hawai‘i: “Lulu’s Law is a smart, commonsense way to make sure that families have the information they need as soon as possible when a shark attack happens.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) currently manages the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), which sends out local alerts for various emergencies including extreme weather and wildfires.

Lulu's parents expressed their gratitude for their daughter's survival and support for the legislation: “We firmly believe this accident could have been prevented with a better alert system,” said Ann Blair and Joe Gribbin.

The bill has garnered support from several other senators including Shelley Moore Capito, Bill Cassidy, Tommy Tuberville, Deb Fischer, Tim Kaine, Raphael Warnock, and Pete Ricketts. Congressman Palmer reiterated his commitment: “By passing Lulu’s Law we would be creating a practical solution to prevent future attacks.”

Dr. Ryan Forbess also advocated for the bill in an AL.com column last fall: “With Senator Britt’s bill we can prevent other kids...from facing the terror that Lulu was forced to endure.”