The Alabama Senate gave final approval Thursday to “Lulu’s Law,” which will create an Amber Alert-like warning system when there’s been a shark attack near Alabama beaches.
Under House Bill 437, by Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources would operate a shark alert system in conjunction with local and state agencies. It will send alerts to phones when the department receives a confirmed report of an unprovoked shark attack within close proximity to an Alabama shoreline.
Democrats argued that alerts should be sent when sharks are spotted near beaches, but Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, said that could lead to a lot of unnecessary alerts, given the number of sharks, and the Alabama Department of Tourism had concerns about alerts if sharks were simply sighted.
The proposed law is named for Alabama teen Lulu Gribbin, who lost her left hand and right leg in a shark attack last year on a Florida beach.
The bill passed 32-0 and goes to the governor.