House panel advances bill requiring cardiac emergency plans, brief CPR training in schools
Summary
The House Education Committee approved amendments and recommended a due pass for House Bill 13-63, which as amended requires schools to maintain cardiac emergency plans and provide brief defibrillator awareness training to appropriate school personnel.
The House Education Committee voted to advance House Bill 13-63 as amended after adopting an amendment that requires school districts to maintain a cardiac emergency response plan and provide short defibrillator awareness training for appropriate staff.
Representative Schreiberbeck introduced the amendment and said it keeps an emergency plan requirement and some training while trimming other language. Committee members described the proposal as aligning with practices in many districts where automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are already located in gyms and commons areas and staff—licensed coaches, athletic trainers and some health teachers—are trained to respond.
Representative Morton said the training is often short ‘‘like a 10-minute’’ demonstration focusing on awareness of the AED location and how to use it. Representative Hanger (spelled in transcript Hanger/Haddlstead) questioned whether development of a regional response template should be a DPI responsibility; the committee considered language that would assign plan development to the Department of Health and Human Services in cooperation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The committee adopted the amendment (recorded roll 10-0-4) and then voted to recommend a due pass for HB13-63 as amended (committee reported the final vote as 10-0-4). The committee moved the bill to the consent agenda.
