I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1679
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the establishment
at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of a program regarding
lifesaving interventions for individuals who experience cardiac arrest,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 20, 1997
Mr. STEARNS (for himself, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. BACHUS, Mr. BARRETT
of Wisconsin, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. BURR of North Carolina, Mr. CAL-
VERT, Mr. CANADY of Florida, Ms. CARSON, Mr. CASTLE, Mr. CLEMENT,
Mr. COYNE, Mr. DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. DELLUMS, Mr.
DUNCAN, Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. FOLEY, Mr.
FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. FROST, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. GEKAS, Mr.
GOODLING, Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr.
HILLIARD, Mr. KLINK, Mr. LEACH, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. MCKINNEY,
Mr. MASCARA, Mr. MEEHAN, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mr. MORAN of Vir-
ginia, Mr. OLVER, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PETERSON of Penn-
sylvania, Ms. RIVERS, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. TOWNS, Mr.
WALSH, Mr. WAXMAN, and Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for
the establishment at the National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute of a program regarding lifesaving inter-
ventions for individuals who experience cardiac arrest,
and for other purposes.
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 Sur-
vival Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) Each year more than 350,000 adults suffer
cardiac arrest, usually away from a hospital. More
than 95 percent of them will die, in many cases, be-
cause lifesaving defibrillators arrive on the scene too
late, if at all.
(2) These cardiac arrest deaths occur primarily
from occult underlying heart disease and from
drownings, allergic or sensitivity reactions, or elec-
trical shocks.
(3) Survival from cardiac arrest requires suc-
cessful early implementation of a chain of events—
the chain of survival which begins when the person
sustains a cardiac arrest and continues until the
person arrives at the hospital.
(4) A successful chain of survival requires the
first person on the scene to take rapid and simple
initial steps to care for the patient and to assure the
patient promptly enters the emergency medical serv-
ices system.
(5) The first persons on the scene when an ar-
rest occurs are typically lay persons who are friends
or family of the victim, fire services, public safety
personnel, basic life support emergency medical serv-
ices providers, teachers, coaches, and supervisors of
sports or other extracurricular activities, providers of
day care, schoolbus drivers, lifeguards, attendants at
public gatherings, coworkers, and other leaders with-
in the community.
(6) A coordinated Federal response is necessary
to ensure that appropriate and timely lifesaving
interventions are provided to persons sustaining non-
traumatic cardiac arrest. The Federal response
should include, but not be limited to—
(A) significantly expanded research con-
cerning the efficacy of various methods of pro-
viding 
immediate 
out-of-hospital 
lifesaving
interventions to the nontraumatic cardiac arrest
patient;
(B) the development of research-based, na-
tionally uniform, easily learned and well re-
tained model core educational content concern-
ing the use of such lifesaving interventions by
health care professionals, allied health person-
nel, emergency medical services personnel, pub-
lic safety personnel, and other persons who are
likely to arrive immediately at the scene of a
sudden cardiac arrest;
(C) an identification of the legal, political,
financial, and other barriers to implementing
these lifesaving interventions; and
(D) the development of model State legis-
lation to reduce identified barriers and to en-
hance each State’s response to this significant
problem.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH MODEL PRO-
GRAM ON THE FIRST LINKS IN THE CHAIN OF
SURVIVAL.
Section 421 of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 285b–3) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing subsection:
‘‘(c) Programs under subsection (a)(1)(E) (relating
to emergency medical services and preventive, diagnostic,
therapeutic, and rehabilitative approaches) shall include
programs for the following:
‘‘(1) The development and dissemination, in co-
ordination with the emergency services guidelines
promulgated under section 402(a) of title 23, United
States Code, by the Associate Administrator for
Traffic Safety Programs, Department of Transpor-
tation, of a core content for a model State training
program applicable to cardiac arrest for inclusion in
appropriate current emergency medical services edu-
cational curricula and training programs that ad-
dress 
lifesaving 
interventions, 
including
cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The core content of
such program—
‘‘(A) may be used by health care profes-
sionals, allied health personnel, emergency med-
ical services personnel, public safety personnel,
and any other persons who are likely to arrive
immediately at the scene of a sudden cardiac
arrest (in this subsection referred to as ‘cardiac
arrest care providers’) to provide lifesaving
interventions, including cardiopulmonary resus-
citation;
‘‘(B) shall include age-specific criteria for
the use of particular techniques, which shall in-
clude infants and children; and
‘‘(C) shall be reevaluated as additional
interventions are shown to be effective.
‘‘(2) The operation of a demonstration project
to provide training in such core content for cardiac
arrest care providers.
‘‘(3) The definition and identification of cardiac
arrest care providers, by personal relationship, expo-
sure to arrest or trauma, occupation (including
health professionals), or otherwise, who could pro-
vide benefit to victims of out-of-hospital arrest by
comprehension of such core content.
‘‘(4) The establishment of criteria for comple-
tion and comprehension of such core content, includ-
ing consideration of inclusion in health and safety
educational curricula.
‘‘(5) The identification and development of
equipment and supplies that should be accessible to
cardiac arrest care providers to permit lifesaving
interventions by preplacement of such equipment in
appropriate locations.
‘‘(6) The development of model State legislation
(or Federal legislation applicable to Federal terri-
tories, facilities, and employees) in cooperation with
the Attorney General, which model legislation shall
be developed in accordance with the following:
‘‘(A) The purpose of the model legislation
shall be to ensure—
‘‘(i) access to emergency medical serv-
ices through consideration of a require-
ment for public placement of lifesaving
equipment; and
‘‘(ii) good samaritan immunity for
cardiac arrest care providers; those in-
volved with the instruction of the training
programs; and owners and managers of
property where equipment is placed.
‘‘(B) In the development of the model leg-
islation, there shall be consideration of require-
ments for training in the core content and use
of lifesaving equipment for State licensure or
credentialing of health professionals or other li-
censed occupations or employment of other indi-
viduals who may be defined as cardiac arrest
care providers under paragraph (3).
‘‘(7) The development of a national database
for reporting and collecting information relating to
the incidence of cardiac arrest, the circumstances
surrounding such arrests, the rate of survival, the
effect of age, and whether interventions, including
cardiac arrest care provider interventions, or other
aspects of the chain of survival, improve the rate of
survival.
‘‘(8) The publication of a biennial public report
summarizing progress in improving care to the car-
diac arrest patient.’’.
SEC. 4. COMMISSION ON CARDIAC ARREST SURVIVAL.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be established as
an independent agency within the executive branch a com-
mission to be known as the Commission on Cardiac Arrest
Survival (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’).
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Commission shall be
composed of 15 members appointed in accordance
with paragraph (2), and the ex offico members des-
ignated in paragraph (3).
(2) APPOINTING
OFFICIALS; EXPERTISE
RE-
QUIREMENTS.—
(A) Of the members appointed to the Com-
mission pursuant to paragraph (1)—
(i) five shall be appointed by the
President;
(ii) five shall be appointed by the
President Pro Tempore of the Senate,
after consultation with the Minority Lead-
er of the Senate; and
(iii) five shall be appointed by the
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
after consultation with the Minority Lead-
er of the House.
(B) The individuals appointed to the Com-
mission under subparagraph (A) shall collec-
tively have expertise and experience in the fol-
lowing areas: Emergency medical care; pediatric
emergency medicine; cardiology; State and local
emergency medical services; delivery of State
health services; public safety; trauma; public
buildings or governmental facilities manage-
ment; epidemiology; lifesaving equipment design
and manufacture; development of model State
legislation; human factors engineering; and pro-
fessional and public education. At least three of
the members shall be qualified by scientific
training and experience to evaluate the design
or conduct of, and data derived from, clinical
and educational research in the risks and bene-
fits of resuscitative modalities.
(3) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The membership
of the Commission shall include ex officio members
from the following agencies: The National Institutes
of Health, Department of Health and Human Serv-
ices; the Department of Education; the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department
of Transportation; the General Services Administra-
tion; the Department of Defense; and the Depart-
ment of Justice.
(c) FUNCTION OF THE COMMISSION .—The Commis-
sion shall, in consultation with the National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute, evaluate and provide recommenda-
tions on effective methods to increase survival from car-
diac arrest. Such recommendations may include rec-
ommendations on implementation of this Act, further
studies on emergency medical systems or other modalities
for early intervention in the chain of survival, or further
legislation to improve access to cardiac arrest survival mo-
dalities.
(d) REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later
than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this
Act, or during the interim when the Commission believes
necessary, the Commission shall prepare and submit to the
President and to the Congress a final report.
(e) ADMINISTRATIVE POWERS
OF
THE COMMIS-
SION.—The Commission may hold hearings, sit and act
at such times and places, take such testimony, and receive
such evidence as the Commission considers advisable to
carry out the purpose of this section. The Commission
may secure directly from any Federal department or agen-
cy such information as the Commission considers nec-
essary to carry out the provisions of this section.
(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
Æ