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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6829 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.6829

                     One Hundred Eighteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
         the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-four

                                 An Act

 
  To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize and support the 
 creation and dissemination of cardiomyopathy education, awareness, and 
    risk assessment materials and resources to identify more at-risk 
families, to authorize research and surveillance activities relating to 
                 cardiomyopathy, 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 ``Cardiomyopathy Health Education, 
Awareness, and Research, and AED Training in the Schools Act of 2024'' 
or the ``HEARTS Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. CARDIOMYOPATHY HEALTH EDUCATION, AWARENESS, AND RESEARCH, AND 
AED TRAINING IN SCHOOLS.
    (a) Amendment.--The Public Health Service Act is amended by 
inserting after section 312 (42 U.S.C. 244) the following:
``SEC. 312A. MATERIALS AND RESOURCES TO INCREASE EDUCATION AND 
AWARENESS OF CARDIOMYOPATHY AMONG SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, EDUCATORS, AND 
FAMILIES.
    ``(a) Materials and Resources.--Not later than 18 months after the 
date of the enactment of the HEARTS Act of 2024, the Secretary, in 
consultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, shall develop public education materials and resources to 
be disseminated to school administrators, educators, school health 
professionals, coaches, families, guardians, caregivers, and other 
appropriate individuals. The materials and resources shall include--
        ``(1) information on the signs, symptoms, and risk factors 
    associated with high-risk cardiac conditions and genetic heart 
    rhythm abnormalities that may cause sudden cardiac arrest in 
    children, adolescents, and young adults, including--
            ``(A) cardiomyopathy;
            ``(B) long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, catecholaminergic 
        polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, short QT syndrome, and 
        Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome; and
            ``(C) other high-risk cardiac conditions, as determined by 
        the Secretary;
        ``(2) guidelines regarding the placement of automated external 
    defibrillators in schools, early childhood education programs, and 
    child care centers;
        ``(3) training information on automated external defibrillators 
    and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and
        ``(4) recommendations for how schools, early childhood 
    education programs, and child care centers can develop and 
    implement a cardiac emergency response plan.
    ``(b) Dissemination of Materials and Resources.--Not later than 30 
months after the date of the enactment of the HEARTS Act of 2024, the 
Secretary shall disseminate the materials and resources developed under 
subsection (a) in accordance with the following:
        ``(1) Distribution by state educational agencies.--The 
    Secretary shall make available such materials and resources to 
    State educational agencies to distribute--
            ``(A) to school administrators, educators, school health 
        professionals, coaches, families, guardians, caregivers, and 
        other appropriate individuals, the information developed under 
        subsection (a)(1);
            ``(B) to parents, guardians, or other caregivers, the 
        cardiomyopathy risk assessment developed pursuant to section 
        312B(b)(1); and
            ``(C) to school administrators, educators, school health 
        professionals, and coaches--
                ``(i) the guidelines described in subsection (a)(2);
                ``(ii) the training information described in subsection 
            (a)(3); and
                ``(iii) the recommendations described in subsection 
            (a)(4).
        ``(2) Dissemination to health departments and professionals.--
    The Secretary shall make available the materials and resources 
    developed under subsection (a) to State and local health 
    departments, pediatricians, hospitals, and other health 
    professionals, such as nurses and first responders.
        ``(3) Posting on website.--
            ``(A) CDC.--
                ``(i) In general.--The Secretary, through the Director, 
            shall post the materials and resources developed under 
            subsection (a) on the public Internet website of the 
            Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
                ``(ii) Additional information.--The Director is 
            encouraged to maintain on such public Internet website such 
            additional information regarding cardiomyopathy as deemed 
            appropriate by the Director.
            ``(B) State educational agencies.--State educational 
        agencies are encouraged to create public Internet webpages 
        dedicated to cardiomyopathy and post the materials and 
        resources developed under subsection (a) on such webpages.
    ``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
        ``(1) The term `cardiomyopathy' means a heart disease that 
    affects the heart's muscle (myocardium)--
            ``(A) the symptoms of which may vary from case to case, 
        including--
                ``(i) cases in which no symptoms are present 
            (asymptomatic); and
                ``(ii) cases in which there are symptoms of a 
            progressive condition that may result from an impaired 
            ability of the heart to pump blood, such as fatigue, 
            irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia), heart failure, and, 
            potentially, sudden cardiac death; and
            ``(B) the recognized types of which include dilated, 
        hypertrophic, restrictive, arrhythmogenic right ventricular 
        dysplasia, and left ventricular non-compaction.
        ``(2) The term `Director' means the Director of the Centers for 
    Disease Control and Prevention.
        ``(3) The terms `early childhood education program', 
    `elementary school', and `secondary school' have the meanings given 
    to those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
    Education Act of 1965.
        ``(4) The term `school administrator' means a principal, 
    director, manager, or other supervisor or leader within an 
    elementary school, secondary school, State-based early childhood 
    education program, or child care center.
        ``(5) The term `school health professional' means a health 
    professional serving at an elementary school, secondary school, 
    State-based early childhood education program, or child care 
    center.
``SEC. 312B. ACTIVITIES RELATING TO CARDIOMYOPATHY.
    ``(a) Report on CDC National Cardiomyopathy Activities.--
        ``(1) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
    the enactment of the HEARTS Act of 2024, the Secretary, acting 
    through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
    Prevention, shall submit to Congress a report on findings generated 
    from existing activities conducted by the Centers for Disease 
    Control and Prevention to improve the understanding of the 
    prevalence and epidemiology of cardiomyopathy across the lifespan, 
    from birth to adulthood, with particular interest in the following:
            ``(A) The natural history of individuals with 
        cardiomyopathy, in both the pediatric and adult population.
            ``(B) Estimates of cardiomyopathy-related emergency 
        department visits and hospitalizations, in both the pediatric 
        and adult population.
        ``(2) Public access.--Subject to paragraph (3), the report 
    submitted under this subsection shall be made available to the 
    public.
        ``(3) Privacy protections.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
    this subsection is carried out in a manner that complies with all 
    applicable privacy laws under Federal and State law.
    ``(b) Improving Risk Assessments for Individuals With 
Cardiomyopathy.--
        ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall develop and make 
    publicly available a cardiomyopathy risk assessment for health care 
    providers and individuals. Such risk assessment shall, at a 
    minimum, include the following:
            ``(A) Background information on the prevalence, incidence, 
        and health impact of cardiomyopathy, including all forms of 
        cardiomyopathy and their effects on pediatric, adolescent, and 
        adult individuals.
            ``(B) A worksheet with variables and conditions for an 
        individual or health care provider to use in assessing whether 
        an individual is at risk for cardiomyopathy.
            ``(C) A worksheet with variables and stages of progression 
        for an individual or health care provider to use in assessing 
        whether and to what extent cardiomyopathy has progressed in an 
        individual.
            ``(D) Guidelines on cardiomyopathy screenings for 
        individuals who are at risk for, or have a family history of, 
        cardiomyopathy.
        ``(2) Stakeholder input.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
    Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall 
    seek input from external stakeholders including--
            ``(A) representatives from national patient advocacy 
        organizations expert in all forms of cardiomyopathy;
            ``(B) representatives from medical professional societies 
        that specialize in the care of adults and pediatrics with 
        cardiomyopathy; and
            ``(C) representatives from other relevant Federal agencies.
    ``(c) Definition.--In this section, the term `cardiomyopathy' has 
the meaning given to such term in section 312A.
``SEC. 312C. CARDIOMYOPATHY RESEARCH.
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Director 
of the National Institutes of Health, may expand and coordinate 
research and related activities of the National Institutes of Health 
with respect to cardiomyopathy, which may include research with respect 
to--
        ``(1) causation of cardiomyopathy, including genetic causes and 
    molecular biomarkers;
        ``(2) long-term health outcomes in individuals with 
    cardiomyopathy, including infants, children, teenagers, adults, and 
    elderly individuals; and
        ``(3) studies using longitudinal data and retrospective 
    analysis to identify effective treatments and outcomes for 
    individuals with cardiomyopathy.
    ``(b) Nonduplication.--The Secretary shall ensure that any research 
and activities related to cardiomyopathy under this section do not 
unnecessarily duplicate activities, programs, or efforts of other 
agencies and offices within the Department of Health and Human 
Services.
    ``(c) NIH Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of the HEARTS Act of 2024, the Secretary, in consultation 
with the Director of the National Institutes of Health, shall submit to 
Congress a report--
        ``(1) outlining the ongoing research efforts of the National 
    Institutes of Health regarding cardiomyopathy; and
        ``(2) identifying--
            ``(A) a research agenda regarding adult forms of 
        cardiomyopathy;
            ``(B) plans for researching cardiomyopathy affecting the 
        pediatric population; and
            ``(C) the areas of greatest need for such research.
    ``(d) Cardiomyopathy Defined.--In this section, the term 
`cardiomyopathy' has the meaning given to such term in section 312A.
``SEC. 312D. PROMOTING STUDENT ACCESS TO AEDS AND CPR.
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may award grants to eligible 
entities to develop and implement a comprehensive program to promote 
student access to automated external defibrillators (in this section 
referred to as `AEDs') and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (in this 
section referred to as `CPR') 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, cleared under section 
    510(k) of such Act, or classified under section 513(f)(2) of such 
    Act.
        ``(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.
    ``(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) Definitions.--In this section:
        ``(1) ESEA terms.--The terms `elementary school', `local 
    educational agency', and `secondary school' have the meanings given 
    such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
    Education Act of 1965.
        ``(2) Qualified health care entity.--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 public elementary and secondary schools; and
            ``(C) is qualified in providing technical assistance in AED 
        and CPR training.''.
    (b) No Additional Funds.--No additional funds are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out sections 312A, 312B, 312C, and 312D of the 
Public Health Service Act, as inserted by subsection (a).

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.
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