I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3880 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize and support the creation 
and dissemination of cardiomyopathy education, awareness, and risk as-
sessment materials and resources to identify more at-risk families, to 
authorize research and surveillance activities relating to cardiomyopathy, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 
Mr. PALLONE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
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. 
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, Research, and Training in 
the Schools Act of 2017’’ or the ‘‘HEARTS Act of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. MATERIALS AND RESOURCES TO INCREASE EDU-
CATION AND AWARENESS OF CARDIOMYOPA-
THY AMONG SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, EDU-
CATORS, AND FAMILIES. 
Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 399V–7. 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 this section, 
the Secretary, in conjunction with the Director of the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention (in this section 
referred to as the ‘Director’) shall develop public education 
materials and resources to be disseminated to school ad-
ministrators, educators, school health professionals, coach-
es, families, guardians, caregivers, and other appropriate 
individuals. The materials and resources shall include— 
‘‘(1) background information to increase edu-
cation and awareness of cardiomyopathy among 
school administrators, educators, and families; 
‘‘(2) guidelines regarding the placement of 
automated external defibrillators in schools, early 
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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. 
‘‘(b) DISSEMINATION
OF
MATERIALS
AND
RE-
SOURCES.—Not later than 30 months after the date of 
the enactment of this section, the Secretary, through the 
Director, shall disseminate the materials and resources de-
veloped under subsection (a) in accordance with the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(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 cardiomyopathy education and 
awareness materials and resources developed 
under subsection (a)(1); 
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‘‘(B) to parents, guardians, or other care-
givers, the risk assessment for individuals with 
or at risk for cardiomyopathy developed pursu-
ant to section 399V–8(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). 
‘‘(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 
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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-
sources developed under subsection (a) on such 
webpages. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) 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. 
‘‘(2) 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. 
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‘‘(3) The terms ‘early childhood education pro-
gram’, ‘elementary school’, and ‘secondary school’ 
have the meanings given to those terms in section 
8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—For 
carrying out this section and section 399V–8, there is au-
thorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2018 through 2022.’’. 
SEC. 3. RESEARCH AND SURVEILLANCE ACTIVITIES RELAT-
ING TO CARDIOMYOPATHY. 
(a) CDC RESEARCH AND SURVEILLANCE.—Part P 
of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
280g et seq.), as amended by section 2, is further amended 
by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 399V–8. RESEARCH AND SURVEILLANCE ACTIVITIES 
RELATING TO CARDIOMYOPATHY. 
‘‘(a) 
REPORTS
ON
CDC 
NATIONAL
CARDIO-
MYOPATHY SURVEILLANCE RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.— 
‘‘(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than January 
1, 2020, the Secretary, acting through the Director 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
shall submit to Congress an initial report on find-
ings and data generated from surveillance and re-
search activities conducted by the Centers for Dis-
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ease Control and Prevention to improve the under-
standing of the prevalence and epidemiology of car-
diomyopathy across the lifespan, from birth to adult-
hood, with particular interest in the following: 
‘‘(A) The health care costs, utilization, and 
natural history of individuals with cardio-
myopathy, in both the pediatric and adult popu-
lation. 
‘‘(B) The number of adults and children 
affected by cardiomyopathy, as well as age-spe-
cific mortality. 
‘‘(2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than January 
1, 2025, the Secretary, acting through the Director 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
shall submit to Congress a final report on the con-
tent described in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) PUBLIC
ACCESS.—Subject to paragraph 
(4), the reports submitted under this subsection 
shall be made available to the public. 
‘‘(4) PATIENT PRIVACY.—The Secretary shall 
ensure that this subsection is carried out in a man-
ner that complies with the requirements applicable 
to a covered entity under the regulations promul-
gated pursuant to section 264(c) of the Health In-
surance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. 
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‘‘(b) IMPROVING RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR INDIVID-
UALS WITH CARDIOMYOPATHY.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, shall develop and make pub-
licly available a risk assessment for individuals with 
or at risk for cardiomyopathy. Such risk assessment 
shall, at a minimum, include the following: 
‘‘(A) Background information of the preva-
lence, incidence, and health impact of cardiomy-
opathy, including all forms of cardiomyopathy 
and their effects on pediatric, adolescent, and 
adult individuals. 
‘‘(B) A worksheet with variables and con-
ditions for an individual or health care provider 
to use in assessing whether the 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 
the individual. 
‘‘(D) 
Guidelines 
on 
cardiomyopathy 
screenings for individuals who are at risk for, 
or have a family history of, cardiomyopathy. 
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‘‘(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 
‘‘(C) representatives from other relevant 
Federal agencies. 
‘‘(c) CARDIOMYOPATHY DEFINED.—For purposes of 
this section, the term ‘cardiomyopathy’ means a heart dis-
ease that affects the heart’s muscle (myocardium)— 
‘‘(1) the symptoms of which may vary from 
case to case, including— 
‘‘(A) cases in which no symptoms are 
present (asymptomatic); and 
‘‘(B) cases in which there are symptoms of 
a progressive condition that may result from an 
impaired ability of the heart to pump blood, 
such as fatigue, irregular heartbeats (arrhyth-
mia), heart failure, and, potentially, sudden car-
diac death; and 
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