The bill proposes significant amendments to the Enhanced 911 Act, renaming it the 911 Act and updating terminology and definitions to modernize the framework. Key changes include renaming the Enhanced 911 Fund to the 911 Emergency Service Fund and the Enhanced 911 Bond Act to the 911 Bond Act. New definitions such as "911 equipment," "911 system," and "emergency services internet protocol network" are introduced, while outdated terms are removed. The bill also increases the 911 surcharge from fifty-one cents to one dollar, clarifying its application to various communication services, with exemptions for certain categories like broadband internet access service. Additionally, it expands grant funding opportunities and allows local governing bodies to incur costs for establishing and maintaining 911 systems.

Further amendments streamline the administration of the 911 surcharge, clarifying that it is the consumer's liability while the seller is responsible for remitting the collected surcharges. The bill establishes the "911 emergency service fund" to manage these surcharges, which will reimburse local entities for emergency services costs, including next-generation 911 infrastructure. It also modifies the 911 Bond Act by removing "Enhanced" terminology and adding new definitions related to 911 bonds and projects. The bill emphasizes the importance of maintaining the 911 surcharge for debt service on outstanding bonds and includes provisions to protect the surcharge from repeal or modification that could impair the bonds. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, and repeals a previous, irrelevant section of the law.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 63-9D-1, 63-9D-2, 63-9D-3, 63-9D-4, 63-9D-5, 63-9D-5.1, 63-9D-7, 63-9D-8, 63-9D-8.1, 63-9D-10, 63-9D-11, 63-9D-12, 63-9D-13, 63-9D-14, 63-9D-15, 63-9D-16, 63-9D-17, 63-9D-18, 63-9D-19, 63-9D-20
FC substitute: 63-9D-1, 63-9D-3, 63-9D-4, 63-9D-5, 63-9D-5.1, 63-9D-7, 63-9D-8, 63-9D-8.1, 63-9D-10, 63-9D-11, 63-9D-12, 63-9D-13, 63-9D-14, 63-9D-15, 63-9D-16, 63-9D-17, 63-9D-18, 63-9D-19, 63-9D-20, 63-9D-2