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(KLTV) - A bill inspired by an East Texas mother killed in a Marshall hotel room in 2013 was brought up for a potential vote in the House of Representatives Monday afternoon, and it passed. It will now move on to the Senate.

Kari Hunt was killed in a hotel room by her estranged husband in December 2013.

Her nine-year-old daughter tried calling 911 from the hotel room four times but wasn't able to get through because she didn't know to dial another nine to reach an outside line.

Rep. Louie Gohmert from East Texas originally introduced the bill to Congress. In a statement after the bill was passed Monday evening, he released this statement:

“This common sense reform was made possible through the tireless work of countless individuals, and none more so than Hank Hunt, the father of Kari Hunt. Federal Communications Commissioner Ajit Pai along with the American Hotel and Lodging Association were great helps in getting the help we needed to make this bill a reality nationwide.  The Chairman of the full committee Fred Upton (R-MI) and sub-committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) could not have been more helpful.

This legislation ensures that anyone who dials 9-1-1 will reach emergency personnel, even if the phone typically requires that user to dial ‘9’ to get an outside line.  This fix can be easily implemented with very little if any expense at all.

The indications are that the Senate will now take up this legislation and pass it. With the House legislation now having passed out of both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the full House of Representatives today, no child or adult should ever again pick up the phone to call for help and get nothing.

This legislation will not reverse the heartbreaking loss of Kari Rene Hunt or her daughter’s horror, as she told her grandfather, when she called 9-1-1 four times and could not get help. However, it will create a legacy for Kari that will safeguard others from this kind of trauma.”

Read More: Kari's law passes congressional committees, heads to House, Senate

But, there was one thing that prevented the bill from being voted on when it was first brought up Monday afternoon.

“In an emergency, every person in America deserves the peace of mind to know that on any phone 911 actually means 911,” Representative Greg Walden said.

Representative Walden from Oregon addressed the House in support of Kari’s Law. He is the chairman of the subcommittee that has been looking at and amending Kari’s Law in preparation for a House vote.

Kari's Law was adopted in Texas in 2015, but this bill pushes for direct 911 access in all multi-line phone systems across the country. 

“If you're a traveler staying in a hotel, you shouldn't have to wonder in an emergency if you're in one of the states or counties that have adopted Kari's Law when the time comes for emergency help,” Rep. Walden said.  

“Most of the time these changes can be made at no cost, and we've had programmers inform us that they have been doing it at no charge once the issue is brought to their attention,” Rep. Gohmert said.  

Democrats also support Kari’s Law, but they want location information added to make sure first responders know the exact location the call was made from.

“We should act immediately to correct this problem, too, because making sure the call goes through is only helpful if public safety officials can find the caller,” Representative Frank Pallone, from New Jersey, said.

Although Rep. Pallone did say he was planning to draft another bill correcting the location issue, he did object to the vote this afternoon claiming there were not enough people present to vote at that time.

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http://www.ksla.com/story/32044539/karis-law-passes-in-the-us-house-of-representatives-moves-on-to-senate