Katie Britt Reintroduces Bipartisan Shark Attack Prevention Bill

11 hours ago

During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) spoke about Lulu's Law.

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Transcript

00:00Mr. President, I rise today to talk about something that I have spoken about on this

00:05floor before.

00:07Last September, an incredible young woman named Lulu Grimmon really came onto the scene

00:16with regards to a piece of legislation that we put forth before this body.

00:22You see, her life changed forever in July of last year.

00:29She's an incredible young woman from Mountain Brook, Alabama.

00:33She brought her entire community, her state, and now our nation together.

00:39That's because on July 7th of last year, June 7th of last year, out of the blue, she was

00:47attacked by a shark.

00:50And her and a friend were looking for sand dollars, and obviously, all of this came unexpectedly.

00:59What happened next was nothing short of a miracle.

01:03The doctors, nurses, EMTs, and everyday people on the beach that day saved Lulu's life.

01:11But the real miracle was just beginning.

01:14When Lulu woke up from surgery that day and got taken off of her ventilator, her very

01:22first words were, I made it.

01:26That has become a mantra, not just in how she reemerged, but in the way that she has

01:36pushed forward.

01:39After a long rehabilitation, she came back to Alabama three months after the accident.

01:46She was determined.

01:47When you talk with her parents, they tell you about her aggressiveness.

01:51When other amputees would come and visit her, and they would tell her how long it took them

01:55to walk or to do other things, she would say, I'm going to do it faster.

02:00I'm going to do it better.

02:03She was back out classing golfers there at a driving range.

02:07Not too long after, she refused letting losing an arm or a leg stop her.

02:15Just last week, Lulu spoke publicly for the very first time since the shark attack.

02:21Her grace, her faith, her strength, her perseverance, it was an inspiration to all of us.

02:28Lulu told a crowd that morning that she wakes up ready to conquer the day, every day, and

02:37that she is motivated to keep getting better.

02:41She launched a foundation called Lulu Strong to help others in need get the prosthetic

02:46technologies that will make their lives easier.

02:50After visiting Walter Reed just a few weeks ago, you can tell how this advocacy can actually

02:56change lives.

02:58When the unimaginable changed her world, what Lulu decided to do was change our world for

03:04the better.

03:06Lulu is a modern-day American hero.

03:09The courage she's shown, the fight, the resolve that she's demonstrated are truly remarkable,

03:16and not just for a 16-year-old, but for anyone.

03:22But it shouldn't have to be this way.

03:24Lulu is indeed an inspiration, but this tremendous battle that she's fought and won could have

03:31been prevented in the first place.

03:34You see, when I heard Lulu's story, I learned that there was another shark attack that happened

03:40just right down the shore, 90 minutes earlier.

03:44Elizabeth Foley, a mother of three from Virginia, tragically lost her hand to a shark bite and

03:50suffered other terrible injuries, resulting in 26 surgeries.

03:57After talking with Lulu and her family, we said it doesn't have to be this way.

04:04They knew there was something that could have been done.

04:07And after talking, we knew that there had to be a better way to get information out

04:12there to warn beachgoers about shark attacks in the area.

04:18That's when we introduced Lulu's Law.

04:22And it's why I'm reintroducing this bill in this Congress today.

04:27This bill, which I am proud to share, has bipartisan support.

04:32It would empower local authorities to issue wireless emergency alert warning beachgoers

04:37of potential shark attacks through the already existing wireless emergency alert system.

04:44This has the potential to make a real difference in Americans' lives.

04:49And when we're given the opportunity to do something simple that can make such a big

04:54difference, I believe we have to take it.

04:58To Lulu, I want you to know how much you inspire all of us.

05:05Your bravery in the face of the unimaginable, it's just amazing.

05:11And you taking what happened to you and saying, how can I make others' lives better?

05:16How can we make sure that this doesn't happen to someone else?

05:20We want to honor the strength that you've shown over the past nine months.

05:26To Lulu's parents, Ann Blair and Joe Grubin, the way you've all rallied our state and our

05:34country to support Lulu on her road to recovery is truly unbelievable.

05:41To my colleagues in the Senate on both sides of the aisle, whether you represent a state

05:48on the coast or you represent citizens on the interior, there is no doubt we want to

05:57keep our citizens safe, whether they live there or they're visiting.

06:03Making sure that we put safeguards in place that can prevent another tragedy from occurring

06:08is imperative.

06:10Let's pass this law.

06:13Let's celebrate this amazing young woman.

06:16And let's prevent this from happening again.

06:19Thank you, Mr. President.

06:20I yield the floor.

Katie Britt Reintroduces Bipartisan Shark Attack Prevention Bill

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