IB 

Union Calendar No. 432 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6829 

[Report No. 118–520] 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 14, 2023 

Mr. PALLONE (for himself and Mr. KIM of New Jersey) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

MAY 22, 2024 

Additional sponsors: Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. POSEY, and Mr. DOGGETT

MAY 22, 2024 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on December 14, 2023] 


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A BILL 

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 Health 

5 Education, Awareness, and Research, and AED Training 

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

7 SEC. 2. CARDIOMYOPATHY HEALTH EDUCATION, AWARE8 NESS, AND RESEARCH, AND AED TRAINING IN 

9 SCHOOLS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Public Health Service Act is 

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

12 following: 

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

14 EDUCATION AND AWARENESS OF CARDIO15 MYOPATHY AMONG SCHOOL ADMINISTRA16 TORS, EDUCATORS, AND FAMILIES. 

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

18 months after the date of the enactment of the HEARTS Act 

19 of 2024, the Secretary, in consultation with the Director 

20 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall de21 velop public education materials and resources to be dis22 seminated to school administrators, educators, school health 

23 professionals, coaches, families, guardians, caregivers, and 

24 other appropriate individuals. The materials and resources 

25 shall include— 


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

2 risk factors associated with high-risk cardiac condi3 tions and genetic heart rhythm abnormalities that 

4 may cause sudden cardiac arrest in children, adoles5 cents, and young adults, including— 

6 ‘‘(A) cardiomyopathy; 

7 ‘‘(B) long QT syndrome, Brugada syn8 drome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventric9 ular tachycardia, short QT syndrome, and Wolff10 Parkinson-White syndrome; and 

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

12 determined by the Secretary; 

13 ‘‘(2) guidelines regarding the placement of auto14 mated external defibrillators in schools, early child15 hood education programs, and child care centers; 

16 ‘‘(3) training information on automated external 

17 defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and 

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

19 childhood education programs, and child care centers 

20 can develop and implement a cardiac emergency re21 sponse plan. 

22 ‘‘(b) DISSEMINATION OF MATERIALS AND RE23 SOURCES.—Not later than 30 months after the date of the 

24 enactment of the HEARTS Act of 2024, the Secretary shall 


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1 disseminate the materials and resources developed under 

2 subsection (a) in accordance with the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) DISTRIBUTION BY STATE EDUCATIONAL

4 AGENCIES.—The Secretary shall make available such 

5 materials and resources to State educational agencies 

6 to distribute— 

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

8 school health professionals, coaches, families, 

9 guardians, caregivers, and other appropriate in10 dividuals, the information developed under sub11 section (a)(1); 

12 ‘‘(B) to parents, guardians, or other care13 givers, the cardiomyopathy risk assessment devel14 oped pursuant to section 312B(b)(1); and 

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

16 school health professionals, and coaches— 

17 ‘‘(i) the guidelines described in sub18 section (a)(2); 

19 ‘‘(ii) the training information de20 scribed in subsection (a)(3); and 

21 ‘‘(iii) the recommendations described 

22 in subsection (a)(4). 

23 ‘‘(2) DISSEMINATION TO HEALTH DEPARTMENTS

24 AND PROFESSIONALS.—The Secretary shall make 

25 available the materials and resources developed under 


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1 subsection (a) to State and local health departments, 

2 pediatricians, hospitals, and other health profes3 sionals, such as nurses and first responders. 

4 ‘‘(3) POSTING ON WEBSITE.— 

5 ‘‘(A) CDC.— 

6 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, 

7 through the Director, shall post the mate8 rials and resources developed under sub9 section (a) on the public Internet website of 

10 the Centers for Disease Control and Preven11 tion. 

12 ‘‘(ii) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.—The 

13 Director is encouraged to maintain on such 

14 public Internet website such additional in15 formation regarding cardiomyopathy as 

16 deemed appropriate by the Director. 

17 ‘‘(B) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.— 

18 State educational agencies are encouraged to cre19 ate public Internet webpages dedicated to cardio20 myopathy and post the materials and resources 

21 developed under subsection (a) on such webpages. 

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

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

24 disease that affects the heart’s muscle (myocar25 dium)— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the symptoms of which may vary from 

2 case to case, including— 

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

4 present (asymptomatic); and 

5 ‘‘(ii) cases in which there are symp6 toms of a progressive condition that may re7 sult from an impaired ability of the heart 

8 to pump blood, such as fatigue, irregular 

9 heartbeats (arrhythmia), heart failure, and, 

10 potentially, sudden cardiac death; and 

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

12 dilated, hypertrophic, restrictive, arrhythmogenic 

13 right ventricular dysplasia, and left ventricular 

14 non-compaction. 

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

16 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

17 ‘‘(3) The terms ‘early childhood education pro18 gram’, ‘elementary school’, and ‘secondary school’ 

19 have the meanings given to those terms in section 

20 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

21 Act of 1965. 

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

23 principal, director, manager, or other supervisor or 

24 leader within an elementary school, secondary school, 


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1 State-based early childhood education program, or 

2 child care center. 

3 ‘‘(5) The term ‘school health professional’ means 

4 a health professional serving at an elementary school, 

5 secondary school, State-based early childhood edu6 cation program, or child care center. 

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

8 ‘‘(a) REPORT ON CDC NATIONAL CARDIOMYOPATHY

9 ACTIVITIES.— 

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

11 after the date of the enactment of the HEARTS Act 

12 of 2024, the Secretary, acting through the Director of 

13 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall 

14 submit to Congress a report on findings generated 

15 from existing activities conducted by the Centers for 

16 Disease Control and Prevention to improve the under17 standing of the prevalence and epidemiology of car18 diomyopathy across the lifespan, from birth to adult19 hood, with particular interest in the following: 

20 ‘‘(A) The natural history of individuals 

21 with cardiomyopathy, in both the pediatric and 

22 adult population. 

23 ‘‘(B) Estimates of cardiomyopathy-related 

24 emergency department visits and hospitalizaVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:23 May 23, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H6829.RH H6829

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1 tions, in both the pediatric and adult popu2 lation. 

3 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC ACCESS.—Subject to paragraph (3), 

4 the report submitted under this subsection shall be 

5 made available to the public. 

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

7 shall ensure that this subsection is carried out in a 

8 manner that complies with all applicable privacy 

9 laws under Federal and State law. 

10 ‘‘(b) IMPROVING RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS

11 WITH CARDIOMYOPATHY.— 

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

13 and make publicly available a cardiomyopathy risk 

14 assessment for health care providers and individuals. 

15 Such risk assessment shall, at a minimum, include 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(A) Background information on the preva18 lence, incidence, and health impact of cardio19 myopathy, including all forms of cardio20 myopathy and their effects on pediatric, adoles21 cent, and adult individuals. 

22 ‘‘(B) A worksheet with variables and condi23 tions for an individual or health care provider 

24 to use in assessing whether an individual is at 

25 risk for cardiomyopathy. 


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1 ‘‘(C) A worksheet with variables and stages 

2 of progression for an individual or health care 

3 provider to use in assessing whether and to what 

4 extent cardiomyopathy has progressed in an in5 dividual. 

6 ‘‘(D) Guidelines on cardiomyopathy 

7 screenings for individuals who are at risk for, or 

8 have a family history of, cardiomyopathy. 

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

10 paragraph (1), the Director of the Centers for Disease 

11 Control and Prevention shall seek input from external 

12 stakeholders including— 

13 ‘‘(A) representatives from national patient 

14 advocacy organizations expert in all forms of 

15 cardiomyopathy; 

16 ‘‘(B) representatives from medical profes17 sional societies that specialize in the care of 

18 adults and pediatrics with cardiomyopathy; and 

19 ‘‘(C) representatives from other relevant 

20 Federal agencies. 

21 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘cardio22 myopathy’ has the meaning given to such term in section 

23 312A. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 312C. CARDIOMYOPATHY RESEARCH. 

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

3 with the Director of the National Institutes of Health, may 

4 expand and coordinate research and related activities of the 

5 National Institutes of Health with respect to cardio6 myopathy, which may include research with respect to— 

7 ‘‘(1) causation of cardiomyopathy, including ge8 netic causes and molecular biomarkers; 

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

10 with cardiomyopathy, including infants, children, 

11 teenagers, adults, and elderly individuals; and 

12 ‘‘(3) studies using longitudinal data and retro13 spective analysis to identify effective treatments and 

14 outcomes for individuals with cardiomyopathy. 

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

16 that any research and activities related to cardiomyopathy 

17 under this section do not unnecessarily duplicate activities, 

18 programs, or efforts of other agencies and offices within the 

19 Department of Health and Human Services. 

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

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

22 Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the National 

23 Institutes of Health, shall submit to Congress a report— 

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

25 National Institutes of Health regarding cardio26 myopathy; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) identifying— 

2 ‘‘(A) a research agenda regarding adult 

3 forms of cardiomyopathy; 

4 ‘‘(B) plans for researching cardiomyopathy 

5 affecting the pediatric population; and 

6 ‘‘(C) the areas of greatest need for such re7 search. 

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

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

10 in section 312A. 

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

12 CPR. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award grants 

14 to eligible entities to develop and implement a comprehen15 sive program to promote student access to automated exter16 nal defibrillators (in this section referred to as ‘AEDs’) and 

17 cardiopulmonary resuscitation (in this section referred to 

18 as ‘CPR’) in public elementary schools and secondary 

19 schools. 

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

21 grant under subsection (a) may use funds received through 

22 such grant to carry out any of the following activities: 

23 ‘‘(1) Developing and providing comprehensive 

24 materials to establish AED and CPR programs in 

25 public elementary schools and secondary schools. 


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1 ‘‘(2) Providing support for CPR and AED train2 ing programs in such schools for students, staff, and 

3 related sports volunteers. 

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

5 emergency response plan within such schools. 

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

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

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

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

10 ‘‘(5) Purchasing necessary AED batteries and 

11 performing necessary AED maintenance (such as by 

12 replacing AED pads) in accordance with the labeling 

13 of the AED involved. 

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

15 equipment, machinery, and educational materials. 

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

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

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

19 public charter school operating as a local educational 

20 agency under State law), in consultation with a 

21 qualified health care entity; and 

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

23 such time, in such manner, and containing such in24 formation as the Secretary may reasonably require. 

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


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

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

3 school’ have the meanings given such terms in section 

4 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

5 Act of 1965. 

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

7 term ‘qualified health care entity’ means a health care 

8 entity that— 

9 ‘‘(A) is— 

10 ‘‘(i) a public entity; or 

11 ‘‘(ii) an organization that is described 

12 in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue 

13 Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation 

14 under section 501(a) of such Code; 

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

16 train, and implement a comprehensive program 

17 to promote student access to defibrillation in 

18 public elementary and secondary schools; and 

19 ‘‘(C) is qualified in providing technical as20 sistance in AED and CPR training.’’. 

21 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

22 312(e) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 244(e)) 

23 is amended by striking the first sentence and inserting the 

24 following: ‘‘For the purpose of carrying out this section and 

25 sections 312A, 312B, 312C, and 312D, there is authorized 


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1 to be appropriated $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

2 through 2029.’’. 


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Union Calendar No. 432 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6829 

[Report No. 118–520] 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorand for other purposes. surveillance activities relating to cardiomyopathy, more at-risk families, to authorize research and assessment materials and resources to identify cardiomyopathy education, awareness, and risk ize and support the creation and dissemination of 

MAY 22, 2024 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


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