Lulu’s Law To Be Signed By President Trump
In 2024, Mountain Brook's Lulu Gribbin, whose grandparents are from Tuscaloosa, was enjoying a normal day at the beach on the Florida Gulf Coast. Down the beach, a shark had been sighted, but neither Gribbin nor others in the warm gulf waters knew. The shark made its way to where Gribbin was and attacked, and she sustained serious injuries.
Instead of becoming a victim, the 18-year-old became a role model and hero. She lost her left hand and almost her entire right leg. She was rushed to the hospital, where she spent 77 days recovering and vowed to advocate for amputees and a way to warn about the danger of a shark.
Lulu set out to prove she is not handicapped a para-athlete and youth advocate who founded the Lulu Strong Foundation in 2025, a program to assist amputees. She made national TV appearances and appeared with politicians and celebrities and at sporting events to prove being an amputee doesn't mean being handicapped. She also became the most famous proponent for beach safety.
Lifeguards typically put up purple or red warning flags and restrict water access as soon as a shark is spotted. But that can take too long, be too localized and in many cases be too late.
Gribbin began advocating for a bill that would allow emergency alerts when sharks have been spotted. That led to "Lulu's Law" being passed by the Alabama Legislature, where the presence of a shark triggers Wireless Emergency Alerts - WEA (similar to Amber Alerts) directly to local mobile devices.
U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer and Alabama's Junior U.S. Senator Katie Britt picked up the mantle on the national level, introducing "Lulu's Law" in Congress. Yesterday, with Lulu and her family watching from the gallery, it officially passed in the U.S. House of Representatives following its unanimous approval in the U.S. Senate last July.
Palmer and Britt had immediate responses to the bill's passage, which now goes to President Trump for his signature.
“Today, the House passed Lulu’s Law to help keep families and beachgoers safe,” Palmer said in a statement. “Lulu Gribbin’s courage, resilience, and determination have turned a tragic experience into a meaningful effort to protect others.”
“This bipartisan legislation is an incredible example of Congress at its very best,” Britt said in a statement on her website. “Lulu’s Law will soon be signed into federal statute and as a result, families and beachgoers will be safer.”
The bill will extend shark warnings to U.S. waters nationwide. The White House has not announced a signing date.
More From Tuscaloosa Thread
