Senate Bill 817, carried by Senator Creigh Rouse, was reported by the Senate Committee on Education and Health on Jan. 9 and re-referred to the Senate Finance Committee with the recommendation that lawmakers fund implementation. The bill would require public schools to have an implemented cardiac emergency response plan (or an athletic emergency action plan) to improve survival from on-campus cardiac events.

Rouse said many Virginia schools lack campus-specific plans for cardiac arrest during class, athletics or other events and urged the committee to vote favorably. Supporters included the American Heart Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia School Nurses Association and the Virginia NAACP. Gonzalo Bridal of the American Heart Association testified that the legislation “will ensure that all schools have an implemented cardiac emergency response plan,” and the group noted the plans are crafted at the school level to fit local staff, coaches and athletic trainers.

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Pacheco, a youth heart ambassador, described living with multiple heart defects and urged passage: “For too many students like me, survival depends on AEDs and up to date staff training,” she said. The Virginia School Boards Association requested full state funding for the initiative, particularly for placing AEDs at every building and athletic venue; the VSB A said costs could be substantial for some divisions.

The committee moved that SB 817 be reported and re-referred to Finance and recorded the referral. The committee also noted a fiscal analysis for the related budget amendment estimating roughly $123,000–$124,000 for initial costs.

Ending: Supporters said the measure passed the committee unanimously in prior sessions and urged lawmakers to fund any equipment grants so school divisions are not left to absorb major capital costs.