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[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2528 Referred in House (RFH)]

  2d Session
                                S. 2528

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 11, 2000

                 Referred to the Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
To provide funds for the purchase of automatic external defibrillators 
   and the training of individuals in advanced cardiac life support.

    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 ``Rural Access to Emergency Devices 
Act'' or the ``Rural AED Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the 
        United States.
            (2) The American Heart Association estimates that 250,000 
        Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest each year.
            (3) A cardiac arrest victim's chance of survival drops 10 
        percent for every minute that passes before his or her heart is 
        returned to normal rhythm.
            (4) Because most cardiac arrest victims are initially in 
        ventricular fibrillation, and the only treatment for 
        ventricular fibrillation is defibrillation, prompt access to 
        defibrillation to return the heart to normal rhythm is 
        essential.
            (5) Lifesaving technology, the automated external 
        defibrillator, has been developed to allow trained lay rescuers 
        to respond to cardiac arrest by using this simple device to 
        shock the heart into normal rhythm.
            (6) Those people who are likely to be first on the scene of 
        a cardiac arrest situation in many communities, particularly 
        smaller and rural communities, lack sufficient numbers of 
        automated external defibrillators to respond to cardiac arrest 
        in a timely manner.
            (7) The American Heart Association estimates that more than 
        50,000 deaths could be prevented each year if defibrillators 
        were more widely available to designated responders.
            (8) Legislation should be enacted to encourage greater 
        public access to automated external defibrillators in 
        communities across the United States.

SEC. 3. GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 
through the Rural Health Outreach Office of the Health Resources and 
Services Administration, shall award grants to community partnerships 
that meet the requirements of subsection (b) to enable such 
partnerships to purchase equipment and provide training as provided for 
in subsection (c).
    (b) Community Partnerships.--A community partnership meets the 
requirements of this subsection if such partnership--
            (1) is composed of local emergency response entities such 
        as community training facilities, local emergency responders, 
        fire and rescue departments, police, community hospitals, and 
        local non-profit entities and for-profit entities concerned 
        about cardiac arrest survival rates;
            (2) evaluates the local community emergency response times 
        to assess whether they meet the standards established by 
        national public health organizations such as the American Heart 
        Association and the American Red Cross; and
            (3) submits to the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        an application at such time, in such manner, and containing 
        such information as the Secretary may require.
    (c) Use of Funds.--Amounts provided under a grant under this 
section shall be used--
            (1) to purchase automatic external defibrillators that have 
        been approved, or cleared for marketing, by the Food and Drug 
        Administration; and
            (2) to provide defibrillator and basic life support 
        training in automated external defibrillator usage through the 
        American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, or other 
        nationally recognized training courses.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall prepare and 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report containing 
data relating to whether the increased availability of defibrillators 
has affected survival rates in the communities in which grantees under 
this section operated. The procedures under which the Secretary obtains 
data and prepares the report under this subsection shall not impose an 
undue burden on program participants under this section.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $25,000,000 for fiscal years 2001 through 2003 to carry 
out this section.

            Passed the Senate October 10 (legislative day, September 
      22), 2000.

            Attest:

                                                    GARY SISCO,

                                                             Secretary.
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