Alabama-led legislation making shark attacks an emergency event for which the Federal Communications Commission may transmit emergency alerts was enacted into federal law Friday.
Lulu’s Law, introduced federally in March by United States Senator Katie Britt, R-Alabama, and United States Representative Gary Palmer, R-Alabama, is named after Mountain Brook teenager Lulu Gribbin, who lost a hand and a leg in a bull shark attack in Florida in 2024.
Shortly before Gribbin and her friend McCray Faust were attacked, another woman nearby had also been attacked by a shark.
In response to the incident, the Alabama Legislature passed a bill, signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey in May 2025, that similarly established an Alabama shark attack alert system through the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Mobile and Baldwin County emergency management agencies.
The federal version of the law adds shark attacks to events eligible for FCC Wireless Emergency Alerts sent through mobile devices, allowing government officials to broadcast warnings to cellphones within a certain radius of a shark attack.
“This bill signing is the result of two years of working around the clock to help ensure we protect beachgoers across our nation. The timing of this law couldn’t be better as countless Americans are enjoying our nation’s beaches this summer,” Britt said.
“We would not be here today without Lulu’s courage, perseverance, and advocacy to protect future beachgoers. She conquered an insurmountable challenge head-on, choosing to advocate for a worthy cause,” Britt said. “Because of her strength, lives will be changed. We should all be inspired by her.”
The United States Senate passed Britt’s bill with unanimous support July 9.
The House followed suit and overwhelmingly passed the legislation under a suspension of House rules, a procedure typically reserved for noncontroversial bills that requires a two-thirds majority. Six Republican representatives were the only members of Congress to vote against the bill.
In a statement released by Britt’s office, Gribbin’s parents, Anna Blair and Joe Gribbin, expressed gratitude for their daughter’s advocacy and Congress’ overwhelming support for the measure.
“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. 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,” Blair and Gribbin said.
“This is a commonsense law that makes everyone safer, and it passed with incredible bipartisan support because nearly every elected representative came together to protect families at the beach,” they said. “We’re grateful to Senator Britt and Representative Palmer, who rallied their colleagues in support of this bill and showed how a law like this could impact families across the country.”
Britt also thanked President Donald Trump for signing the legislation, as well as Palmer and bill cosponsors, including United States Senator Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.
“I’m incredibly grateful to President Trump for recognizing the importance of this law and swiftly signing it into law. I’m also thankful to all my colleagues who cosponsored this legislation, including Senator Schatz, who helped me lead this through the Senate, and to Congressman Palmer, who ushered Lulu’s Law through the House. Both have been incredible champions of this bill and Lulu’s story,” Britt said.
Within 180 days of the bill’s enactment Friday, the Federal Communications Commission must issue an order providing that a shark attack is an event for which its Alert Message system may be used.
