[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4517 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4517
To amend section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require
certain institutions of higher education to develop and implement a
venue-specific heat-related illnesses emergency action plan, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 17, 2025
Mr. Mfume (for himself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Elfreth, and Mr. David Scott of
Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require
certain institutions of higher education to develop and implement a
venue-specific heat-related illnesses emergency action plan, and for
other purposes.
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 ``Jordan McNair Student Athlete Heat
Fatality Prevention Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Heat-related illnesses are a serious medical condition
that result from the body's inability to cool itself down in
extremely hot environments. Heat-related illnesses include heat
stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat syncope, heat rash,
and muscle breakdown. When experiencing heat illness, patients
may exhibit an array of symptoms including but not limited to
confusion, slurred speech, unconsciousness, vomiting, seizures,
fatigue, elevated body temperature, fainting, dizziness, or
muscle pain.
(2) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported
over 700 heat-related deaths in the United States from 2004 to
2018. Heat is the leading climate-related cause of deaths, and
rising temperatures pose a serious risk to student athletes
participating in outdoor sports.
(3) Jordan McNair, a highly accomplished high school
football player from Maryland, received scholarship offers from
many competitive university football programs. He chose to
continue his athletic and academic career at the University of
Maryland.
(4) On May 29, 2018, Jordan McNair collapsed during a
workout on the University of Maryland's football field in the
81 degrees Fahrenheit heat. McNair was suffering from
exertional heatstroke and was unable to remain in an upright
position without assistance from his teammates, medical staff,
or coaching staff.
(5) Despite being a student athlete at a well-funded
division I university, Jordan McNair received inadequate heat-
related illness treatment once he was escorted off the field
and into the athletic training room. Because medical staff were
unable to reverse McNair's core body temperature, the illness
escalated to a seizure and respiratory distress.
(6) Most medical professionals advise patients to receive
treatment within 30 minutes of initial heat illness symptoms.
Over 90 minutes passed from the time McNair displayed initial
symptoms of exertional heatstroke to the time he finally
received adequate care from the nearest hospital.
(7) By the time Jordan McNair arrived at the hospital, his
core body temperature had reached a life-threatening
temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit.
(8) On June 13, 2018, two weeks after collapsing on the
football field at practice, Jordan McNair died from symptoms of
exertional heatstroke.
(9) Two extensive external investigations of the University
of Maryland's football program concluded that the program's
medical staff failed to promptly intervene, diagnose, and treat
Jordan McNair's exertional heatstroke symptoms.
(10) According to an independent medical report, University
staff failed to assess Jordan McNair's vitals, recognize and
monitor heat-related illness symptoms, provide adequate cooling
devices and respiratory aids, and generate an emergency plan to
coordinate with emergency responders.
(11) The University of Maryland has taken significant steps
to prevent and treat heat-related injuries among their student
athletes, making cold water immersion tubs available at every
practice and game, installing and maintaining readily
accessible automatic defibrillators at every venue, increasing
the training and reporting structure of athletic trainers,
among other reforms in line with the priorities of this Act.
(12) The McNair family is devoted to honoring Jordan's
legacy and founded the Jordan McNair Foundation, which provides
an educational tool to help coaches, student athletes, and
parents identify symptoms of heatstroke and heat-related
illnesses.
(13) Heat-related illnesses and fatalities are preventable
if caught early. Medical staff, coaches, and athletes must be
knowledgeable of the warning signs for heat-related illness in
order to protect student athletes from injury, and even death.
SEC. 3. VENUE-SPECIFIC HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
REQUIREMENT FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
Section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092) is
amended by inserting at the end the following new subsection:
``(n) Venue-Specific Heat-Related Illnesses Emergency Action
Plan.--
``(1) In general.--Each institution of higher education
that is participating in any program under this title and that
is a member of an athletic association or athletic conference
shall--
``(A) not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this subsection and in consultation with
local emergency responders, develop and implement a
venue-specific heat-related illnesses emergency action
plan, which shall include a plan for the operation and
use of automatic external defibrillators and cold water
immersion equipment; and
``(B) not later than 1 year after the date that
such emergency action plan is first implemented, and on
an annual basis thereafter, submit to the Secretary and
authorizing committees a report that demonstrates
compliance with the requirements of this subsection
with respect to the preceding year.
``(2) Requirements.--An emergency action plan developed and
implemented under paragraph (1), with respect to an institution
of higher education, shall--
``(A) include a symptom identification structure
and a coordination of care plan for student athletes
exhibiting signs of heat-related illness, and be
visibly posted in each--
``(i) locker room;
``(ii) athletic training facility;
``(iii) weight room; and
``(iv) outdoor sports complex and stadium;
``(B) be made available on the athletic program
website or public website of the institution of higher
education at the beginning of each academic year;
``(C) be distributed to local emergency responders;
and
``(D) before the start of practical training for
each academic year, be distributed to, and practiced
in-person by all of the following individuals at the
institution of higher education:
``(i) Student athletes.
``(ii) Certified athletic trainers.
``(iii) Team physicians.
``(iv) Athletic training students.
``(v) Athletic administrators.
``(vi) Coaches.
``(vii) Institutional safety personnel.
``(viii) Legal counsel.
``(3) Recommendations.--In developing an emergency action
plan under paragraph (1), an institution of higher education
shall consider--
``(A) including guidelines by the Wet-Bulb Globe
Temperature index to assess environmental condition and
heat stress prevention for student athletes;
``(B) having a readily accessible and properly
maintained automatic external defibrillator within 3
minutes of each sporting venue; and
``(C) including the locations of each automatic
external defibrillator in such plan.
``(4) Authorized adjustments.--In the case of a facility
described in paragraph (2)(A) that is undergoing a major
physical alteration that would affect the implementation of a
requirement of paragraph (2), such requirement may be adjusted
with respect to such facility.''.
SEC. 4. VENUE-SPECIFIC HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
REQUIREMENT FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
Subpart 2 of part F of title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7901 et seq.) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``SEC. 8549D. VENUE-SPECIFIC HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES EMERGENCY ACTION
PLAN REQUIREMENT FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
``(a) In General.--As a condition of receipt of funds under this
Act, each secondary school that has a student athletics program shall--
``(1) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this subsection and in consultation with local emergency
responders, develop and implement a venue-specific heat-related
illnesses emergency action plan, which shall include a plan for
the operation and use of automatic external defibrillators and
cold water immersion equipment; and
``(2) not later than 1 year after the date that such
emergency action plan is first implemented, and on an annual
basis thereafter, submit to the Secretary and authorizing
committees a report that demonstrates compliance with the
requirements of this subsection with respect to the preceding
year.
``(b) Requirements.--An emergency action plan developed and
implemented under subsection (a), with respect to a secondary school,
shall--
``(1) include a symptom identification structure and a
coordination of care plan for student athletes exhibiting signs
of heat-related illness, and be visibly posted in each--
``(A) locker room;
``(B) athletic training facility;
``(C) weight room; and
``(D) outdoor sports complex and stadium;
``(2) be made available on the athletic program website or
public website of the secondary school at the beginning of each
academic year;
``(3) be distributed to local emergency responders; and
``(4) before the start of practical training for each
academic year, be distributed to, and practiced in-person by
all of the following individuals at the secondary school:
``(A) Student athletes.
``(B) Certified athletic trainers.
``(C) Team physicians.
``(D) Athletic training students.
``(E) Athletic administrators.
``(F) Coaches.
``(G) Institutional safety personnel.
``(H) Legal counsel.
``(I) Any other individuals determined to be
relevant by the secondary school.
``(c) Recommendations.--In developing an emergency action plan
under subsection (a), a secondary school shall consider--
``(1) including guidelines by the Wet-Bulb Globe
Temperature index to assess environmental condition and heat
stress prevention for student athletes;
``(2) having a readily accessible and properly maintained
automatic external defibrillator within 3 minutes of each
sporting venue; and
``(3) including the locations of each automatic external
defibrillator in such plan.
``(d) Authorized Adjustments.--In the case of a facility described
in subsection (b)(1) that is undergoing a major physical alteration
that would affect the implementation of a requirement of subsection
(b), such requirement may be adjusted with respect to such facility.''.
SEC. 5. PROMOTION OF FEDERAL GRANTS RELATED TO HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES
PREVENTION.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Education shall inform secondary
schools, local educational agencies, State educational agencies, and
institutions of higher education about Federal funds available--
(1) to assist with preventing students and faculty from
suffering from heat-related illnesses;
(2) to develop heat-related illness prevention training;
and
(3) to acquire equipment for treating heat-related
illnesses for students and faculty.
(b) ESEA Terms.--In this section, the terms ``institution of higher
education'', ``local educational agency'', ``secondary school'', and
``State educational agency'' have the meanings given those terms in
section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 7801).
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