WASHINGTON — A U.S. House committee unanimously passed Lulu’s Law Wednesday, which would create a warning alert system for shark attacks.
Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Birmingham, and Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., are sponsors of the legislation named in honor of 17-year-old Lulu Gribbin, who lost her left hand and right leg in a shark attack on a Florida beach in 2024.
“When she woke up and saw her family, she said ‘I made it,’” Palmer said during the Energy and Commerce markup. “So I urge my colleagues to vote yes. In doing so, we will vote to create a common-sense solution to prevent these tragic incidents and to keep beachgoers out of harm’s way.”
The bill now moves to the full House for a vote. Lulu’s law passed the Senate unanimously in July.
“I think that that shows how touched people were by her story, and how they knew that a common-sense reform could actually make a difference,” Britt told Alabama Daily News recently.
Before a shark attacked the Mountain Brook teen 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.
The legislation aims to help prevent that by directing the Federal Communications Commission to provide mobile phone alerts similar to Amber Alerts if a shark attacks someone nearby or if shark attacks are probable under the conditions.
“I have no doubt that it will sail through the (House) floor, because I think people will want to rally behind this and prevent further tragedy and make sure that beachgoers are safe,” Britt said.
In May, Gov. Kay Ivey signed a similar state law in honor of Gribbin after she and Britt visited the State House to advocate for the bill.
Alabama’s junior senator said she would love to see the Alabama teen visit the White House if President Donald Trump signs Lulu’s Law.
“(I) certainly hope to get them together and get this signed into law, and as Lulu says, make other people’s lives better as a result of what happened to her,” Britt told ADN.