IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6829 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

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. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cardiomyopathy 

5 Health Education, Awareness, and Research, and AED 

6 Training in the Schools Act of 2024’’ or the ‘‘HEARTS 

7 Act of 2024’’. 

8 SEC. 2. CARDIOMYOPATHY HEALTH EDUCATION, AWARE9 NESS, AND RESEARCH, AND AED TRAINING IN 

10 SCHOOLS. 

11 (a) AMENDMENT.—The Public Health Service Act is 

12 amended by inserting after section 312 (42 U.S.C. 244) 

13 the following: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 312A. MATERIALS AND RESOURCES TO INCREASE 

15 EDUCATION AND AWARENESS OF CARDIO16 MYOPATHY AMONG SCHOOL ADMINISTRA17 TORS, EDUCATORS, AND FAMILIES. 

18 ‘‘(a) MATERIALS AND RESOURCES.—Not later than 

19 18 months after the date of the enactment of the 

20 HEARTS Act of 2024, the Secretary, in consultation with 

21 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre22 vention, shall develop public education materials and re23 sources to be disseminated to school administrators, edu24 cators, school health professionals, coaches, families, 


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1 guardians, caregivers, and other appropriate individuals. 

2 The materials and resources shall include— 

3 ‘‘(1) information on the signs, symptoms, and 

4 risk factors associated with high-risk cardiac condi5 tions and genetic heart rhythm abnormalities that 

6 may cause sudden cardiac arrest in children, adoles7 cents, and young adults, including— 

8 ‘‘(A) cardiomyopathy; 

9 ‘‘(B) long QT syndrome, Brugada syn10 drome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventric11 ular tachycardia, short QT syndrome, and 

12 Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome; and 

13 ‘‘(C) other high-risk cardiac conditions, as 

14 determined by the Secretary; 

15 ‘‘(2) guidelines regarding the placement of 

16 automated external defibrillators in schools, early 

17 childhood education programs, and child care cen18 ters; 

19 ‘‘(3) training information on automated exter20 nal defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(4) recommendations for how schools, early 

23 childhood education programs, and child care centers 

24 can develop and implement a cardiac emergency re25 sponse plan. 


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1 ‘‘(b) DISSEMINATION OF MATERIALS AND RE2 SOURCES.—Not later than 30 months after the date of 

3 the enactment of the HEARTS Act of 2024, the Secretary 

4 shall disseminate the materials and resources developed 

5 under subsection (a) in accordance with the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) DISTRIBUTION BY STATE EDUCATIONAL

7 AGENCIES.—The Secretary shall make available such 

8 materials and resources to State educational agen9 cies to distribute— 

10 ‘‘(A) to school administrators, educators, 

11 school health professionals, coaches, families, 

12 guardians, caregivers, and other appropriate in13 dividuals, the information developed under sub14 section (a)(1); 

15 ‘‘(B) to parents, guardians, or other care16 givers, the cardiomyopathy risk assessment de17 veloped pursuant to section 312B(b)(1); and 

18 ‘‘(C) to school administrators, educators, 

19 school health professionals, and coaches— 

20 ‘‘(i) the guidelines described in sub21 section (a)(2); 

22 ‘‘(ii) the training information de23 scribed in subsection (a)(3); and 

24 ‘‘(iii) the recommendations described 

25 in subsection (a)(4). 


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1 ‘‘(2) DISSEMINATION TO HEALTH DEPART2 MENTS AND PROFESSIONALS.—The Secretary shall 

3 make available the materials and resources devel4 oped under subsection (a) to State and local health 

5 departments, pediatricians, hospitals, and other 

6 health professionals, such as nurses and first re7 sponders. 

8 ‘‘(3) POSTING ON WEBSITE.— 

9 ‘‘(A) CDC.— 

10 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, 

11 through the Director, shall post the mate12 rials and resources developed under sub13 section (a) on the public Internet website 

14 of the Centers for Disease Control and 

15 Prevention. 

16 ‘‘(ii) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.— 

17 The Director is encouraged to maintain on 

18 such public Internet website such addi19 tional information regarding cardio20 myopathy as deemed appropriate by the 

21 Director. 

22 ‘‘(B) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.— 

23 State educational agencies are encouraged to 

24 create public Internet webpages dedicated to 

25 cardiomyopathy and post the materials and reVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:00 Sep 25, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6829.RFS H6829

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1 sources developed under subsection (a) on such 

2 webpages. 

3 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 ‘‘(1) The term ‘cardiomyopathy’ means a heart 

5 disease that affects the heart’s muscle (myocar6 dium)— 

7 ‘‘(A) the symptoms of which may vary 

8 from case to case, including— 

9 ‘‘(i) cases in which no symptoms are 

10 present (asymptomatic); and 

11 ‘‘(ii) cases in which there are symp12 toms of a progressive condition that may 

13 result from an impaired ability of the heart 

14 to pump blood, such as fatigue, irregular 

15 heartbeats (arrhythmia), heart failure, 

16 and, potentially, sudden cardiac death; and 

17 ‘‘(B) the recognized types of which include 

18 dilated, hypertrophic, restrictive, 

19 arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, and 

20 left ventricular non-compaction. 

21 ‘‘(2) The term ‘Director’ means the Director of 

22 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

23 ‘‘(3) The terms ‘early childhood education pro24 gram’, ‘elementary school’, and ‘secondary school’ 

25 have the meanings given to those terms in section 


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1 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

2 Act of 1965. 

3 ‘‘(4) The term ‘school administrator’ means a 

4 principal, director, manager, or other supervisor or 

5 leader within an elementary school, secondary 

6 school, State-based early childhood education pro7 gram, or child care center. 

8 ‘‘(5) The term ‘school health professional’ 

9 means a health professional serving at an elemen10 tary school, secondary school, State-based early 

11 childhood education program, or child care center. 

12 ‘‘SEC. 312B. ACTIVITIES RELATING TO CARDIOMYOPATHY. 

13 ‘‘(a) REPORT ON CDC NATIONAL CARDIOMYOPATHY

14 ACTIVITIES.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 

16 after the date of the enactment of the HEARTS Act 

17 of 2024, the Secretary, acting through the Director 

18 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

19 shall submit to Congress a report on findings gen20 erated from existing activities conducted by the Cen21 ters for Disease Control and Prevention to improve 

22 the understanding of the prevalence and epidemi23 ology of cardiomyopathy across the lifespan, from 

24 birth to adulthood, with particular interest in the 

25 following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) The natural history of individuals 

2 with cardiomyopathy, in both the pediatric and 

3 adult population. 

4 ‘‘(B) Estimates of cardiomyopathy-related 

5 emergency department visits and hospitaliza6 tions, in both the pediatric and adult popu7 lation. 

8 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC ACCESS.—Subject to paragraph 

9 (3), the report submitted under this subsection shall 

10 be made available to the public. 

11 ‘‘(3) PRIVACY PROTECTIONS.—The Secretary 

12 shall ensure that this subsection is carried out in a 

13 manner that complies with all applicable privacy 

14 laws under Federal and State law. 

15 ‘‘(b) IMPROVING RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR INDIVID16 UALS WITH CARDIOMYOPATHY.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop 

18 and make publicly available a cardiomyopathy risk 

19 assessment for health care providers and individuals. 

20 Such risk assessment shall, at a minimum, include 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘(A) Background information on the prev23 alence, incidence, and health impact of cardio24 myopathy, including all forms of cardioVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:00 Sep 25, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6829.RFS H6829

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1 myopathy and their effects on pediatric, adoles2 cent, and adult individuals. 

3 ‘‘(B) A worksheet with variables and con4 ditions for an individual or health care provider 

5 to use in assessing whether an individual is at 

6 risk for cardiomyopathy. 

7 ‘‘(C) A worksheet with variables and 

8 stages of progression for an individual or health 

9 care provider to use in assessing whether and to 

10 what extent cardiomyopathy has progressed in 

11 an individual. 

12 ‘‘(D) Guidelines on cardiomyopathy 

13 screenings for individuals who are at risk for, 

14 or have a family history of, cardiomyopathy. 

15 ‘‘(2) STAKEHOLDER INPUT.—In carrying out 

16 paragraph (1), the Director of the Centers for Dis17 ease Control and Prevention shall seek input from 

18 external stakeholders including— 

19 ‘‘(A) representatives from national patient 

20 advocacy organizations expert in all forms of 

21 cardiomyopathy; 

22 ‘‘(B) representatives from medical profes23 sional societies that specialize in the care of 

24 adults and pediatrics with cardiomyopathy; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) representatives from other relevant 

2 Federal agencies. 

3 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘cardio4 myopathy’ has the meaning given to such term in section 

5 312A. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 312C. CARDIOMYOPATHY RESEARCH. 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

8 with the Director of the National Institutes of Health, 

9 may expand and coordinate research and related activities 

10 of the National Institutes of Health with respect to cardio11 myopathy, which may include research with respect to— 

12 ‘‘(1) causation of cardiomyopathy, including ge13 netic causes and molecular biomarkers; 

14 ‘‘(2) long-term health outcomes in individuals 

15 with cardiomyopathy, including infants, children, 

16 teenagers, adults, and elderly individuals; and 

17 ‘‘(3) studies using longitudinal data and retro18 spective analysis to identify effective treatments and 

19 outcomes for individuals with cardiomyopathy. 

20 ‘‘(b) NONDUPLICATION.—The Secretary shall ensure 

21 that any research and activities related to cardiomyopathy 

22 under this section do not unnecessarily duplicate activities, 

23 programs, or efforts of other agencies and offices within 

24 the Department of Health and Human Services. 


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1 ‘‘(c) NIH REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 

2 the date of the enactment of the HEARTS Act of 2024, 

3 the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Na4 tional Institutes of Health, shall submit to Congress a re5 port— 

6 ‘‘(1) outlining the ongoing research efforts of 

7 the National Institutes of Health regarding cardio8 myopathy; and 

9 ‘‘(2) identifying— 

10 ‘‘(A) a research agenda regarding adult 

11 forms of cardiomyopathy; 

12 ‘‘(B) plans for researching cardiomyopathy 

13 affecting the pediatric population; and 

14 ‘‘(C) the areas of greatest need for such 

15 research. 

16 ‘‘(d) CARDIOMYOPATHY DEFINED.—In this section, 

17 the term ‘cardiomyopathy’ has the meaning given to such 

18 term in section 312A. 

19 ‘‘SEC. 312D. PROMOTING STUDENT ACCESS TO AEDS AND 

20 CPR. 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award grants 

22 to eligible entities to develop and implement a comprehen23 sive program to promote student access to automated ex24 ternal defibrillators (in this section referred to as ‘AEDs’) 

25 and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (in this section referred 


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1 to as ‘CPR’) in public elementary schools and secondary 

2 schools. 

3 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity receiving a 

4 grant under subsection (a) may use funds received 

5 through such grant to carry out any of the following activi6 ties: 

7 ‘‘(1) Developing and providing comprehensive 

8 materials to establish AED and CPR programs in 

9 public elementary schools and secondary schools. 

10 ‘‘(2) Providing support for CPR and AED 

11 training programs in such schools for students, 

12 staff, and related sports volunteers. 

13 ‘‘(3) Providing support for developing a cardiac 

14 emergency response plan within such schools. 

15 ‘‘(4) Purchasing AEDs that have been approved 

16 under section 515 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 

17 Cosmetic Act, cleared under section 510(k) of such 

18 Act, or classified under section 513(f)(2) of such 

19 Act. 

20 ‘‘(5) Purchasing necessary AED batteries and 

21 performing necessary AED maintenance (such as by 

22 replacing AED pads) in accordance with the labeling 

23 of the AED involved. 

24 ‘‘(6) Replacing old and outdated AED and CPR 

25 equipment, machinery, and educational materials. 


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1 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBILITY; APPLICATION.—To be eligible for 

2 a grant under subsection (a), an entity shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) be a local educational agency (including a 

4 public charter school operating as a local educational 

5 agency under State law), in consultation with a 

6 qualified health care entity; and 

7 ‘‘(2) submit to the Secretary an application at 

8 such time, in such manner, and containing such in9 formation as the Secretary may reasonably require. 

10 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 ‘‘(1) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘elementary 

12 school’, ‘local educational agency’, and ‘secondary 

13 school’ have the meanings given such terms in sec14 tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu15 cation Act of 1965. 

16 ‘‘(2) QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE ENTITY.—The 

17 term ‘qualified health care entity’ means a health 

18 care entity that— 

19 ‘‘(A) is— 

20 ‘‘(i) a public entity; or 

21 ‘‘(ii) an organization that is described 

22 in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue 

23 Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation 

24 under section 501(a) of such Code; 


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1 ‘‘(B) demonstrates an ability to develop, 

2 train, and implement a comprehensive program 

3 to promote student access to defibrillation in 

4 public elementary and secondary schools; and 

5 ‘‘(C) is qualified in providing technical as6 sistance in AED and CPR training.’’. 

7 (b) NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS.—No additional funds 

8 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out sections 

9 312A, 312B, 312C, and 312D of the Public Health Serv10 ice Act, as inserted by subsection (a). 

Passed the House of Representatives September 23, 

2024. 

Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 

Clerk. 


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