Norma Torres: “I was a 911 dispatcher for 17\1/2\ years in Los Angeles. It used to be that, when we had land lines, you didn't have to…”

“I was a 911 dispatcher for 17\1/2\ years in Los Angeles. It used to be that, when we had land lines, you didn't have to be a subscriber to telephone service to be able to dial 911 for police emergencies, fire emergencies, or paramedic services. People could simply keep their phone plugged in and be able to dial 911. That is no longer the case, as more and more phone companies are doing away with land lines. More and more people now have to subscribe to telephone service in order to be able to access 911 for paramedics, for a police emergency, or for a fire service emergency. So we have created a system that is working against the poorest of the poor in our communities, and now the Republicans want to take that away from them. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.”