IB
Union Calendar No. 349
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 2498
[Report No. 106–634]
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for recommendations
of the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding the placement
of automatic external defibrillators in Federal buildings in order to im-
prove survival rates of individuals who experience cardiac arrest in such
buildings, and to establish protections from civil liability arising from
the emergency use of the devices.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 13, 1999
Mr. STEARNS (for himself Mr. RAHALL, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. BARRETT of
Wisconsin, Mr. BILBRAY, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. COOK, Mr. DAVIS of Vir-
ginia, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. DEUTSCH, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr.
GEKAS, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HILLIARD, Ms. HOOLEY
of Oregon, Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, Mr. MASCARA, Mr. MATSUI,
Mr. MEEHAN, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr.
SANDLIN, and Mr. WEINER) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Commerce
MAY 23, 2000
Additional sponsors: Mr. SERRANO, Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania, Mr.
MCGOVERN, Mr. DOYLE, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. FIL-
NER, Ms. DUNN, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. DUNCAN,
Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. CANADY of Florida, Mr. SHOWS,
Mr. WU, Ms. RIVERS, Mr. HANSEN, Mr. QUINN, Ms. ESHOO, Mr.
ENGLISH, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, Mr. RAMSTAD, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr.
SMITH of Washington, Mr. PICKERING, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina,
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. HALL of Texas, Mr. MARTINEZ, Mr. LANTOS,
Mr. CASTLE, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. LUTHER, Mrs. CLAY-
TON, Mr. WALSH, Mr. GOODLING, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. BURR of North Caro-
lina, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey,
Mr. KILDEE, Mr. HOEFFEL, Ms. GRANGER, Mrs. FOWLER, Mr. BILI-
RAKIS, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr. VENTO, Mr. LAFALCE, Mr.
KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. PALLONE, Mr.
CLEMENT, Mrs. BONO, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. BALDACCI, Ms.
DEGETTE, Ms. LEE, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. CARSON, Mr. STRICKLAND, Mr.
STUPAK, Mrs. ROUKEMA, Mr. SALMON, Mr. BOYD, Mr. KANJORSKI, Ms.
PELOSI, Mr. RUSH, Mr. SABO, Mr. BENTSEN, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. BER-
MAN, Mr. GIBBONS, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. EVANS, Mr. HUTCH-
INSON, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. OXLEY, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. RO-
MERO-BARCELO´, Mr. PHELPS, Mr. GILLMOR, Mr. NEAL of Massachu-
setts, Mr. TAUZIN, Mr. KIND, Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida,
Mr. TANCREDO, Mr. FOSSELLA, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mrs. THURMAN, Mrs.
NAPOLITANO, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. SPENCE, Ms. BERK-
LEY, Mr. MCKEON, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. GILMAN,
Mr. SANDERS, Mr. HALL of Ohio, Mr. BASS, Mr. YOUNG of Florida, and
Mr. UPTON
MAY 23, 2000
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 July 13, 1999]
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for
recommendations of the Secretary of Health and Human
Services regarding the placement of automatic external
defibrillators in Federal buildings in order to improve
survival rates of individuals who experience cardiac arrest
in such buildings, and to establish protections from civil
liability arising from the emergency use of the devices.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cardiac Arrest Survival
Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) Over 700 lives are lost every day to sudden
cardiac arrest in the United States alone.
(2) Two out of every three sudden cardiac deaths
occur before a victim can reach a hospital.
(3) More than 95 percent of these cardiac arrest
victims will die, many because of lack of readily
available life saving medical equipment.
(4) With current medical technology, up to 30
percent of cardiac arrest victims could be saved if vic-
tims had access to immediate medical response, in-
cluding defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscita-
tion.
(5) Once a victim has suffered a cardiac arrest,
every minute that passes before returning the heart to
a normal rhythm decreases the chance of survival by
10 percent.
(6) Most cardiac arrests are caused by abnormal
heart rhythms called ventricular fibrillation. Ventric-
ular fibrillation occurs when the heart’s electrical sys-
tem malfunctions, causing a chaotic rhythm that pre-
vents the heart from pumping oxygen to the victim’s
brain and body.
(7) Communities that have implemented pro-
grams 
ensuring 
widespread 
public 
access 
to
defibrillators, combined with appropriate training,
maintenance, and coordination with local emergency
medical systems, have improved the survival rates
from cardiac arrest to as much as 20 percent.
(8) Automated external defibrillator devices have
proven safe and effective, even when used by lay peo-
ple, since the devices are designed not to allow a user
to administer a shock until after the device has ana-
lyzed a victim’s heart rhythm and determined that an
electric shock is required.
(9) Increasing public awareness regarding auto-
mated external defibrillator devices and encouraging
their use in Federal buildings will greatly facilitate
their adoption.
(10) Limiting the liability of Good Samaritans
in emergency situations may encourage the use of
automated external defibrillator devices, and result in
saved lives.
SEC. 3. RECOMMENDATIONS AND GUIDELINES OF SEC-
RETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
REGARDING 
AUTOMATED 
EXTERNAL
DEFIBRILLATORS FOR FEDERAL BUILDINGS.
Part B of title II of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 238 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following section:
‘‘RECOMMENDATIONS AND GUIDELINES REGARDING AUTO-
MATED
EXTERNAL
DEFIBRILLATORS
FOR
FEDERAL
BUILDINGS
‘‘SEC. 247. (a) GUIDELINES ON PLACEMENT.—The
Secretary shall establish guidelines with respect to placing
automated external defibrillator devices in Federal build-
ings. Such guidelines shall take into account the extent to
which such devices may be used by lay persons, the typical
number of employees and visitors in the buildings, the ex-
tent of the need for security measures regarding the build-
ings, buildings or portions of buildings in which there are
special circumstances such as high electrical voltage or ex-
treme heat or cold, and such other factors as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate.
‘‘(b) RELATED RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Secretary
shall publish in the Federal Register the recommendations
of the Secretary on the appropriate implementation of the
placement of automated external defibrillator devices under
subsection (a), including procedures for the following:
‘‘(1) Implementing appropriate training courses
in the use of such devices, including the role of
cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
‘‘(2) Proper maintenance and testing of the de-
vices.