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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 1, 2023 11:32 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Christina D. Sappey and Rep. Danielle Friel Otten |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Updating AED and Emergency Preparedness Requirements in Schools |
| Sudden cardiac arrest takes the lives of over 2,000 students every year; however, when AEDs are available nearby and people know how to use them, chances of survival increase dramatically. Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any time, without symptoms or warning signs, which is why it is imperative our schools are prepared to act and to save a life. Unfortunately, while almost twenty states currently have laws requiring AEDs to be in schools, Pennsylvania does not mandate AEDs in all school buildings. To address this significant issue, our legislation would require that all public school buildings in Pennsylvania have at least one active, working AED, as well as have a trained emergency response team and action plan in place. It would also update the data collection and reporting requirements to ensure that the AEDs in our schools are still within their useful life. This bill would allow these trainings to be eligible for Act 48 credits. When you consider that our children spend almost 200 days in school each year, it is critically important for our schools to have AEDs readily available and have an emergency plan in place. Please consider co-sponsoring this bill which could help to save a child’s life. |
Introduced as HB1203