IIB 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6829 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions 
AN ACT 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize and 
support the creation and dissemination of cardio-
myopathy education, awareness, and risk assessment ma-
terials 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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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 ‘‘Cardiomyopathy 
Health Education, Awareness, and Research, and AED 
Training in the Schools Act of 2024’’ or the ‘‘HEARTS 
Act of 2024’’. 
SEC. 2. CARDIOMYOPATHY HEALTH EDUCATION, AWARE-
NESS, AND RESEARCH, AND AED TRAINING IN 
SCHOOLS. 
(a) AMENDMENT.—The Public Health Service Act is 
amended by inserting after section 312 (42 U.S.C. 244) 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 312A. MATERIALS AND RESOURCES TO INCREASE 
EDUCATION AND AWARENESS OF CARDIO-
MYOPATHY AMONG SCHOOL ADMINISTRA-
TORS, EDUCATORS, AND FAMILIES. 
‘‘(a) MATERIALS AND RESOURCES.—Not later than 
18 months after the date of the enactment of the 
HEARTS Act of 2024, the Secretary, in consultation with 
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention, shall develop public education materials and re-
sources to be disseminated to school administrators, edu-
cators, school health professionals, coaches, families, 
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guardians, caregivers, and other appropriate individuals. 
The materials and resources shall include— 
‘‘(1) information on the signs, symptoms, and 
risk factors associated with high-risk cardiac condi-
tions and genetic heart rhythm abnormalities that 
may cause sudden cardiac arrest in children, adoles-
cents, and young adults, including— 
‘‘(A) cardiomyopathy; 
‘‘(B) long QT syndrome, Brugada syn-
drome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventric-
ular tachycardia, short QT syndrome, and 
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome; and 
‘‘(C) other high-risk cardiac conditions, as 
determined by the Secretary; 
‘‘(2) guidelines regarding the placement of 
automated external defibrillators in schools, early 
childhood education programs, and child care cen-
ters; 
‘‘(3) training information on automated exter-
nal defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; 
and 
‘‘(4) recommendations for how schools, early 
childhood education programs, and child care centers 
can develop and implement a cardiac emergency re-
sponse plan. 
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‘‘(b) DISSEMINATION
OF
MATERIALS
AND
RE-
SOURCES.—Not later than 30 months after the date of 
the enactment of the HEARTS Act of 2024, the Secretary 
shall disseminate the materials and resources developed 
under subsection (a) in accordance with the following: 
‘‘(1) DISTRIBUTION
BY
STATE
EDUCATIONAL 
AGENCIES.—The Secretary shall make available such 
materials and resources to State educational agen-
cies to distribute— 
‘‘(A) to school administrators, educators, 
school health professionals, coaches, families, 
guardians, caregivers, and other appropriate in-
dividuals, the information developed under sub-
section (a)(1); 
‘‘(B) to parents, guardians, or other care-
givers, the cardiomyopathy risk assessment de-
veloped pursuant to section 312B(b)(1); and 
‘‘(C) to school administrators, educators, 
school health professionals, and coaches— 
‘‘(i) the guidelines described in sub-
section (a)(2); 
‘‘(ii) the training information de-
scribed in subsection (a)(3); and 
‘‘(iii) the recommendations described 
in subsection (a)(4). 
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‘‘(2) DISSEMINATION
TO
HEALTH
DEPART-
MENTS AND PROFESSIONALS.—The Secretary shall 
make available the materials and resources devel-
oped under subsection (a) to State and local health 
departments, pediatricians, hospitals, and other 
health professionals, such as nurses and first re-
sponders. 
‘‘(3) POSTING ON WEBSITE.— 
‘‘(A) CDC.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, 
through the Director, shall post the mate-
rials and resources developed under sub-
section (a) on the public Internet website 
of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention. 
‘‘(ii) ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION.— 
The Director is encouraged to maintain on 
such public Internet website such addi-
tional 
information 
regarding 
cardio-
myopathy as deemed appropriate by the 
Director. 
‘‘(B) STATE
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCIES.— 
State educational agencies are encouraged to 
create public Internet webpages dedicated to 
cardiomyopathy and post the materials and re-
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sources developed under subsection (a) on such 
webpages. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘cardiomyopathy’ means a heart 
disease that affects the heart’s muscle (myocar-
dium)— 
‘‘(A) the symptoms of which may vary 
from case to case, including— 
‘‘(i) cases in which no symptoms are 
present (asymptomatic); and 
‘‘(ii) cases in which there are symp-
toms of a progressive condition that may 
result from an impaired ability of the heart 
to pump blood, such as fatigue, irregular 
heartbeats (arrhythmia), heart failure, 
and, potentially, sudden cardiac death; and 
‘‘(B) the recognized types of which include 
dilated, 
hypertrophic, 
restrictive, 
arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, and 
left ventricular non-compaction. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘Director’ means the Director of 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
‘‘(3) The terms ‘early childhood education pro-
gram’, ‘elementary school’, and ‘secondary school’ 
have the meanings given to those terms in section 
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8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965. 
‘‘(4) The term ‘school administrator’ means a 
principal, director, manager, or other supervisor or 
leader within an elementary school, secondary 
school, State-based early childhood education pro-
gram, or child care center. 
‘‘(5) The term ‘school health professional’ 
means a health professional serving at an elemen-
tary school, secondary school, State-based early 
childhood education program, or child care center. 
‘‘SEC. 312B. ACTIVITIES RELATING TO CARDIOMYOPATHY. 
‘‘(a) REPORT ON CDC NATIONAL CARDIOMYOPATHY 
ACTIVITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of the enactment of the HEARTS Act 
of 2024, the Secretary, acting through the Director 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
shall submit to Congress a report on findings gen-
erated from existing activities conducted by the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention to improve 
the understanding of the prevalence and epidemi-
ology of cardiomyopathy across the lifespan, from 
birth to adulthood, with particular interest in the 
following: 
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‘‘(A) The natural history of individuals 
with cardiomyopathy, in both the pediatric and 
adult population. 
‘‘(B) Estimates of cardiomyopathy-related 
emergency department visits and hospitaliza-
tions, in both the pediatric and adult popu-
lation. 
‘‘(2) PUBLIC
ACCESS.—Subject to paragraph 
(3), the report submitted under this subsection shall 
be made available to the public. 
‘‘(3) PRIVACY
PROTECTIONS.—The Secretary 
shall ensure that this subsection is carried out in a 
manner that complies with all applicable privacy 
laws under Federal and State law. 
‘‘(b) IMPROVING RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR INDIVID-
UALS WITH CARDIOMYOPATHY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop 
and make publicly available a cardiomyopathy risk 
assessment for health care providers and individuals. 
Such risk assessment shall, at a minimum, include 
the following: 
‘‘(A) Background information on the prev-
alence, incidence, and health impact of cardio-
myopathy, including all forms of cardio-
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myopathy and their effects on pediatric, adoles-
cent, and adult individuals. 
‘‘(B) A worksheet with variables and con-
ditions for an individual or health care provider 
to use in assessing whether an individual is at 
risk for cardiomyopathy. 
‘‘(C) A worksheet with variables and 
stages of progression for an individual or health 
care provider to use in assessing whether and to 
what extent cardiomyopathy has progressed in 
an individual. 
‘‘(D) 
Guidelines 
on 
cardiomyopathy 
screenings for individuals who are at risk for, 
or have a family history of, cardiomyopathy. 
‘‘(2) STAKEHOLDER
INPUT.—In carrying out 
paragraph (1), the Director of the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention shall seek input from 
external stakeholders including— 
‘‘(A) representatives from national patient 
advocacy organizations expert in all forms of 
cardiomyopathy; 
‘‘(B) representatives from medical profes-
sional societies that specialize in the care of 
adults and pediatrics with cardiomyopathy; and 
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‘‘(C) representatives from other relevant 
Federal agencies. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘cardio-
myopathy’ has the meaning given to such term in section 
312A. 
‘‘SEC. 312C. CARDIOMYOPATHY RESEARCH. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 
with the Director of the National Institutes of Health, 
may expand and coordinate research and related activities 
of the National Institutes of Health with respect to cardio-
myopathy, which may include research with respect to— 
‘‘(1) causation of cardiomyopathy, including ge-
netic causes and molecular biomarkers; 
‘‘(2) long-term health outcomes in individuals 
with cardiomyopathy, including infants, children, 
teenagers, adults, and elderly individuals; and 
‘‘(3) studies using longitudinal data and retro-
spective analysis to identify effective treatments and 
outcomes for individuals with cardiomyopathy. 
‘‘(b) NONDUPLICATION.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that any research and activities related to cardiomyopathy 
under this section do not unnecessarily duplicate activities, 
programs, or efforts of other agencies and offices within 
the Department of Health and Human Services. 
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‘‘(c) NIH REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of the HEARTS Act of 2024, 
the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Na-
tional Institutes of Health, shall submit to Congress a re-
port— 
‘‘(1) outlining the ongoing research efforts of 
the National Institutes of Health regarding cardio-
myopathy; and 
‘‘(2) identifying— 
‘‘(A) a research agenda regarding adult 
forms of cardiomyopathy; 
‘‘(B) plans for researching cardiomyopathy 
affecting the pediatric population; and 
‘‘(C) the areas of greatest need for such 
research. 
‘‘(d) CARDIOMYOPATHY DEFINED.—In this section, 
the term ‘cardiomyopathy’ has the meaning given to such 
term in section 312A. 
‘‘SEC. 312D. PROMOTING STUDENT ACCESS TO AEDS AND 
CPR. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award grants 
to eligible entities to develop and implement a comprehen-
sive program to promote student access to automated ex-
ternal defibrillators (in this section referred to as ‘AEDs’) 
and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (in this section referred 
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to as ‘CPR’) 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 activi-
ties: 
‘‘(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, cleared under section 510(k) of such 
Act, or classified under section 513(f)(2) of such 
Act. 
‘‘(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. 
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‘‘(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 in-
formation as the Secretary may reasonably require. 
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘elementary 
school’, ‘local educational agency’, and ‘secondary 
school’ have the meanings given such terms in sec-
tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965. 
‘‘(2) QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE ENTITY.—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; 
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‘‘(B) demonstrates an ability to develop, 
train, and implement a comprehensive program 
to promote student access to defibrillation in 
public elementary and secondary schools; and 
‘‘(C) is qualified in providing technical as-
sistance in AED and CPR training.’’. 
(b) NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS.—No additional funds 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out sections 
312A, 312B, 312C, and 312D of the Public Health Serv-
ice Act, as inserted by subsection (a). 
Passed the House of Representatives September 23, 
2024. 
Attest: 
KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 
Clerk. 
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