[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1024 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1024
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants
to eligible entities to develop and implement a comprehensive program
to promote student access to defibrillation in public elementary
schools and secondary schools.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 29, 2023
Mr. Booker (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Schumer) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants
to eligible entities to develop and implement a comprehensive program
to promote student access to defibrillation in public elementary
schools and secondary schools.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Access to AEDs Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the
United States.
(2) Sudden cardiac arrest (referred to in this section as
``SCA'') is a life-threatening emergency that is caused by a
malfunction in the heart's electrical system or structure,
which is caused by an abnormality from birth or one that
develops over time.
(3) Studies show that 1 in 300 youth has an undetected
heart condition that puts them at risk.
(4) SCA is the leading cause of death for student athletes.
(5) Sports-related SCA account for 39 percent of SCAs among
children 18 years old or younger.
(6) In 2018, there were nearly 394,000 sudden cardiac
arrests that occurred in the United States, with 9 out of 10
being fatal. Only 1 in 10 victims survive a sudden cardiac
arrest.
(7) An estimated 7,000 to 23,000 young people are stricken
by SCA annually.
(8) The American Heart Association estimates that 5 in 10
victims of SCA could survive if bystanders gave CPR and used an
AED immediately.
(9) The chain of survival includes prompt notification of
emergency services and early CPR, defibrillation, and advanced
cardiac life support.
(10) Health education should include basic emergency
lifesaving skills. Incorporating these lifesaving training
programs into the health curriculum of public elementary and
secondary schools will give children and youth these skills.
SEC. 3. PROMOTING STUDENT ACCESS TO DEFIBRILLATION.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants to eligible
entities to develop and implement a comprehensive program to promote
student access to defibrillation in public elementary schools and
secondary schools.
(b) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity receiving a grant under
subsection (a) may use funds received through such grant to carry out
any of the following activities:
(1) Developing and providing comprehensive materials to
establish AED and CPR programs in public elementary schools and
secondary schools.
(2) Providing support for CPR and AED training programs in
such schools for students, staff, and related sports
volunteers.
(3) Providing support for developing a cardiac emergency
response plan within such schools.
(4) Purchasing AEDs that have been approved under section
515 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
360e), cleared under section 510(k) of such Act (21 U.S.C.
360(k)), or authorized under section 513(f)(2) of such Act (21
U.S.C. 360c(f)(2)).
(5) Purchasing necessary AED batteries and performing
necessary AED maintenance (such as by replacing AED pads) in
accordance with the labeling of the AED involved.
(6) Replacing old and outdated AED and CPR equipment,
machinery, and educational materials.
(7) Fostering new and existing community partnerships with
and among local educational agencies, nonprofit organizations,
public health organizations, emergency medical service
providers, fire and police departments, and parent-teacher
associations to promote the importance of defibrillation in
such schools.
(8) Aiding school athletic departments to screen student
athletes for risk of sudden cardiac arrest, consistent with
guidelines of the American Heart Association and the American
College of Cardiology.
(9) Further developing strategies to improve access to AEDs
in such schools.
(c) Eligibility; Application.--To be eligible for a grant under
subsection (a), an entity shall--
(1) be a local educational agency (including a public
charter school operating as a local educational agency under
State law), in consultation with a qualified health care
entity; and
(2) submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
may reasonably require.
(d) Clearinghouse.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a clearinghouse
database--
(1) to collect and make available information, including
through voluntary reporting by local educational agencies,
State educational agencies, and manufacturers, relating to
student access to defibrillation in public elementary schools
and secondary schools, including with respect to the costs of
providing AEDs and CPR training; and
(2) to gather information in a central location to
facilitate research regarding sudden cardiac arrest in the
pediatric population.
(e) Reports.--
(1) By grantee.--Not later than 4 years after receipt of a
grant under this section, the recipient of the grant shall
submit to the Secretary a report that describes the activities
carried out with funds received through the grant.
(2) By secretary.--Not later than one year after receiving
the reports required by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall
submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce
and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House
of Representatives a consolidated evaluation of the activities
carried out pursuant to grants under this section.
(f) Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``AED'' means an automated external
defibrillator;
(2) the term ``CPR'' means cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
(3) the terms ``elementary school'', ``local educational
agency'', and ``secondary school'' have the meanings given to
such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801);
(4) the term ``qualified health care entity'' means a
health care entity that--
(A) is--
(i) a public entity; or
(ii) an organization that is described in
section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 and exempt from taxation under section
501(a) of such Code;
(B) demonstrates an ability to develop, train, and
implement a comprehensive program to promote student
access to defibrillation in elementary and secondary
schools; and
(C) is qualified in providing technical assistance
in AED and CPR training; and
(5) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health
and Human Services.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for the period of
fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
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