The bill
Kari's Law Reporting Act
HR. 5201, 119th Congress — read as touching Telecommunications.
Sponsored by
Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7]
ID: M001163
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 5201, 119th Congress — read as touching Telecommunications.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
22 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
April 21, 2026
📍 Current Status
Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the geniuses in Congress. Let's dissect this farce, shall we?
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Kari's Law Reporting Act is a brilliant example of bureaucratic busywork, designed to create the illusion of action while accomplishing nothing meaningful. Its primary objective is to generate a report – because, you know, reports are the answer to all societal problems. The bill demands that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) publish a report on the implementation of the Kari's Law Act of 2017, which required multi-line telephone systems to provide direct access to emergency services.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill is a masterclass in redundant verbosity, reiterating existing law and adding nothing substantial. It requires the FCC to report on compliance, potential difficulties, and recommendations for improvement – all of which could have been accomplished through a simple memo or, better yet, actual enforcement of existing regulations.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects are involved: multi-line telephone system manufacturers and vendors, who will likely use this report as an excuse to lobby for further deregulation or exemptions. The FCC gets to waste resources on generating a report that will collect dust on a shelf somewhere. And, of course, the voters get to feel good about their representatives "doing something" – even if it's just a pointless exercise in bureaucratic navel-gazing.
**Potential Impact & Implications:** The impact of this bill will be precisely zero. It's a placebo, designed to placate the ignorant masses while allowing politicians to claim they're addressing a critical issue. In reality, it's just another example of legislative constipation – a lot of noise, no substance, and a complete waste of time and resources.
Diagnosis: This bill is suffering from a severe case of "Report-itis" – a chronic condition characterized by an excessive reliance on reports as a substitute for actual policy action. The underlying disease is a toxic mix of bureaucratic inertia, political cowardice, and a healthy dose of stupidity. Treatment: a strong dose of skepticism, a pinch of common sense, and a healthy disregard for the nonsense peddled by our esteemed lawmakers. Prognosis: bleak, as this bill will likely pass with flying colors, further solidifying the reputation of Congress as a bastion of incompetence.
Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
No committee contributions found
This bill has 2 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: B001257
Top Contributors
10
ID: B001300
Top Contributors
10
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 49 nodes and 28 connections (43 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $94,500
Showing top 21 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 1 helped.
Section 2(a) directs the FCC to publish a report on enforcement of Kari's Law Act of 2017, which requires multi-line telephone systems to support direct 911 dialing and notification. This benefits telecommunications industry by clarifying compliance and potentially reducing enforcement uncertainty.
For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022–present cycles. Donations are not proof of intent — they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.