Currently, there isn't a standardized way to use the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system specifically for shark attacks. This means that even if a serious shark incident happens, officials might not have a quick, broad method to warn everyone in the area through their phones.

If this bill becomes law, it would empower local authorities to send direct alerts to people's cell phones in affected coastal areas, similar to how they warn about severe weather or missing children. This could potentially prevent more injuries or fatalities by providing people with immediate information to get out of the water. If the bill doesn't pass, the system for alerting the public about shark attacks would remain as it is, without this specific, immediate, and wide-reaching phone alert option.