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Jim Talley’s personal campaign to enact more strict regulations for personal emergency response systems has reached the halls of Congress.

Sixth District Rep. Ben Chandler introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives on Thursday that urges all states to adopt laws similar to the one that went on the books Jan. 1 in Kentucky.

The Kentucky law is known as the “Christine Talley Act” in honor of Jim Talley’s mother Christine who died on Memorial Day 2007 of a heart attack after using her PERS device.

Christine Talley tried to activate the device that alerts the company’s call center of a medical crisis, but she could not respond when the company tried to contact her. The call center subsequently tried to reach the family members listed as contacts but never called 911.

The new law designates 911 as the first call whenever a PERS is activated.

Jim Talley’s relentless pursuit of state legislation has paid dividends in his attempt to raise awareness on Capitol Hill. Gov. Steve Beshear and Attorney General Jack Conway, along with state legislators Mike Harmon and Tom Buford, sent letters to state and national policymakers urging them to make similar laws.

Chandler was aware of Talley’s cause.

“We met for about an hour before the law was passed here,” Talley said. “He said that we should keep working to get something done on the state level and after that he would like to help in Washington. He was well aware of the issue when we approached him with the resolution.”

Laying the groundwork

Chandler acknowledged that Talley’s work at the state level helped lay the groundwork for the resolution.

“This bill passed the Kentucky General Assembly with the support of the attorney general and the governor, with Rep. Mike Harmon leading the process,” Chandler said. “After Mr. Talley brought his story to me, I thought that other states should consider similar actions to help protect their citizens. What happened to Mrs. Talley was a great tragedy, and we need to take steps to prevent this from happening again.”

The resolution has now been sent to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

It could take up to two months before the resolution comes to the House floor for a vote, but Talley is hoping for some help in advancing the resolution from U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, who is a member of the 59-person committee.

Talley also has been in touch with legislators from many states, including Pennsylvania state Sen. Sean Logan who represents Allegheny County, an area with one of the largest elderly populations in the country. Talley said the response has been almost universally positive.

“I think a lot of people are shocked that their state doesn’t already have these kinds of protections,” Talley said. “It looks like Pennsylvania is already working on drafting some kind of legislation.”

Talley said his goal is ultimately to have some kind of federal law drafted, but the resolution is a large step in the right direction.

“This could protect a senior in California, or Alaska, or Florida,” Talley said. “These services are starting to pop up all over the country, and with the baby boom generation aging, there will be even more. There needs to be more protection and a sense of security for the elderly but also for their families.”

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