July 30, 2024 – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) has introduced Lulu’s Law, named in honor of 15-year-old Lulu Gribbin from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who is recovering from near-fatal injuries from a shark encounter in June. If passed, this legislation designates shark attacks as eligible for Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) like those used for Amber Alerts and extreme weather notifications. 

Lulu’s Law would allow local, state, tribal, and federal government authorities to swiftly use the WEA system to notify and warn people when and where shark encounters like this happen. Authorities say Lulu and one of her friends were bitten by a shark 90 minutes after another shark attack close by. Britt believes the second attack could have been prevented if this system had been in place.

Action is also happening at the state level. State Rep. David Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook) who knows Lulu and her family personally, said he is ready to take action to keep residents safe from sharks.