Access to AEDs Act

Subjects: Education

Summary:  <p><strong>Access to AEDs Act</strong></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), including public charter schools operating as LEAs under state law, to promote student access to defibrillation in elementary and secondary schools.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1024 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1024

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants 
 to eligible entities to develop and implement a comprehensive program 
   to promote student access to defibrillation in public elementary 
                     schools and secondary schools.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 29, 2023

 Mr. Booker (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Schumer) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
               on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants 
 to eligible entities to develop and implement a comprehensive program 
   to promote student access to defibrillation in public elementary 
                     schools and secondary schools.

    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 ``Access to AEDs Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the 
        United States.
            (2) Sudden cardiac arrest (referred to in this section as 
        ``SCA'') is a life-threatening emergency that is caused by a 
        malfunction in the heart's electrical system or structure, 
        which is caused by an abnormality from birth or one that 
        develops over time.
            (3) Studies show that 1 in 300 youth has an undetected 
        heart condition that puts them at risk.
            (4) SCA is the leading cause of death for student athletes.
            (5) Sports-related SCA account for 39 percent of SCAs among 
        children 18 years old or younger.
            (6) In 2018, there were nearly 394,000 sudden cardiac 
        arrests that occurred in the United States, with 9 out of 10 
        being fatal. Only 1 in 10 victims survive a sudden cardiac 
        arrest.
            (7) An estimated 7,000 to 23,000 young people are stricken 
        by SCA annually.
            (8) The American Heart Association estimates that 5 in 10 
        victims of SCA could survive if bystanders gave CPR and used an 
        AED immediately.
            (9) The chain of survival includes prompt notification of 
        emergency services and early CPR, defibrillation, and advanced 
        cardiac life support.
            (10) Health education should include basic emergency 
        lifesaving skills. Incorporating these lifesaving training 
        programs into the health curriculum of public elementary and 
        secondary schools will give children and youth these skills.

SEC. 3. PROMOTING STUDENT ACCESS TO DEFIBRILLATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants to eligible 
entities to develop and implement a comprehensive program to promote 
student access to defibrillation 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 (21 U.S.C. 
        360e), cleared under section 510(k) of such Act (21 U.S.C. 
        360(k)), or authorized under section 513(f)(2) of such Act (21 
        U.S.C. 360c(f)(2)).
            (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.
            (7) Fostering new and existing community partnerships with 
        and among local educational agencies, nonprofit organizations, 
        public health organizations, emergency medical service 
        providers, fire and police departments, and parent-teacher 
        associations to promote the importance of defibrillation in 
        such schools.
            (8) Aiding school athletic departments to screen student 
        athletes for risk of sudden cardiac arrest, consistent with 
        guidelines of the American Heart Association and the American 
        College of Cardiology.
            (9) Further developing strategies to improve access to AEDs 
        in such schools.
    (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) Clearinghouse.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a clearinghouse 
database--
            (1) to collect and make available information, including 
        through voluntary reporting by local educational agencies, 
        State educational agencies, and manufacturers, relating to 
        student access to defibrillation in public elementary schools 
        and secondary schools, including with respect to the costs of 
        providing AEDs and CPR training; and
            (2) to gather information in a central location to 
        facilitate research regarding sudden cardiac arrest in the 
        pediatric population.
    (e) Reports.--
            (1) By grantee.--Not later than 4 years after receipt of a 
        grant under this section, the recipient of the grant shall 
        submit to the Secretary a report that describes the activities 
        carried out with funds received through the grant.
            (2) By secretary.--Not later than one year after receiving 
        the reports required by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
        submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
        Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
        and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House 
        of Representatives a consolidated evaluation of the activities 
        carried out pursuant to grants under this section.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``AED'' means an automated external 
        defibrillator;
            (2) the term ``CPR'' means cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
            (3) the terms ``elementary school'', ``local educational 
        agency'', and ``secondary school'' have the meanings given to 
        such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801);
            (4) 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 elementary and secondary 
                schools; and
                    (C) is qualified in providing technical assistance 
                in AED and CPR training; and
            (5) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for the period of 
fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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