WASHINGTON — Lulu’s Law, named in honor of a Mountain Brook teen, is now the law of the land.
President Donald Trump signed legislation into law last week to create a warning alert system for shark attacks, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., announced. The law’s namesake, Lulu Gribbin, helped advocate for the measure after she lost her left hand and right leg in a shark attack on a Florida beach in 2024.
“This bill signing is the result of two years of working around the clock to help ensure we protect beachgoers across our nation,” Britt, who sponsored the bill, said. “The timing of this law couldn’t be better as countless Americans are enjoying our nation’s beaches this summer.”
The law cleared Congress in May, receiving overwhelming support in both chambers. Gribbin was present on the House floor when the bill was passed and celebrated inside the Capitol afterwards.
The new federal law aims to prevent shark attacks by directing the Federal Communications Commission to provide mobile phone alerts similar to Amber Alerts when a shark attacks someone nearby or when conditions suggest an imminent threat. The alerts will allow beachgoers to become aware of potential threats in the surrounding waters.
Before a shark attacked the Alabama 17-year-old in June 2024, another woman was also attacked by a shark 90 minutes earlier, only a few miles away. A third person was also attacked nearby.
“Ever since that fateful day at the beach, our daughter Lulu has worked to spare other families from going through what we experienced, or worse,” Ann Blair and Joe Gribbin, Lulu’s parents, said. “We feel so lucky that Lulu is here, and we couldn’t be prouder of her for using her platform in such an impactful way.”
On the House side, U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Birmingham, sponsored the measure. He praised the new federal law and Gribbin’s “tremendous strength” as she pursued positive change in the aftermath of the attack.
Trump’s signing of Lulu’s Law marks Britt’s second piece of legislation signed by the president, after the Laken Riley Act. She is one of nine members of Congress who have had multiple bills signed into law during the current Congress, according to the senator’s office.
The Alabama Legislature passed a similar law in honor of the Mountain Brook teen last year.