Requires automated external defibrillator equipment to be immediately available at school-sponsored competitive athletic events to athletic coaching and/or training staff.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7013
SPONSOR: Solages TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring automated
external defibrillator equipment to be immediately available at school-
sponsored competitive athletic events
PURPOSE:
To require school districts, BOCES, vocational education and charter
schools to have an AED immediately available to coaching and/or training
staff at any school-sponsored event.
SUMMARY:
Section 1. Amends subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 917 of the education
law, as amended by chapter 61 of the laws of 2002.
Section 2. Sets the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Instances of sudden cardiac arrest often occur at athletic events,
including in the case of Buffalo Bills' player Damar Hamlin, who
collapsed on the field during a game and had to be resuscitated on the
playing field, undoubtedly saving his life due to the presence of an
automated external defibrillator (AED). Currently, New York has a stat-
ute requiring AEDs be present somewhere in all types of schools, yet
there is no requirement that the AED specifically be immediately avail-
able at school athletic events. Rather, current law simply requires an
AED be provided "on-site." This could lead to situations where an
athletic trainer or coach must travel into or to another part of the
school building to grab the AED, and then take it back to the location
of the person with a sudden cardiac arrest.
When an individual's heart stops, time is of the essence. Studies have
shown that mortality rates increase for every second longer it takes to
administer an AED shock to the heart. This means having an AED phys-
ically on-site of the athletic event would save precious time should a
sudden cardiac arrest occur, increasing the survivability rate of the
individual.
This bill would clarify existing law to provide that not only should an
AED always be on-site at a school, but also should be readily available
at the actual athletic event for usage, should one be needed.
RACIAL JUSTICE IMPACT:
TBD.
GENDER JUSTICE IMPACT:
TBD.
FISCAL IMPACT:
TBD
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7013
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 10, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring automated
external defibrillator equipment to be immediately available at
school-sponsored competitive athletic events
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 917 of the education law,
2 as amended by chapter 61 of the laws of 2002, are amended to read as
3 follows:
4 1. School districts, boards of cooperative educational services, coun-
5 ty vocational education and extension boards and charter schools shall
6 provide and maintain on-site in each instructional school facility auto-
7 mated external defibrillator (AED) equipment, as defined in paragraph
8 (a) of subdivision one of section three thousand-b of the public health
9 law, in quantities and types deemed by the commissioner in consultation
10 with the commissioner of health to be adequate to ensure ready and
11 appropriate access for use during emergencies, provided however, and
12 such AED shall be immediately available to athletic coaching and/or
13 training staff at any school-sponsored athletic event.
14 2. Whenever public school facilities pursuant to subdivision one of
15 this section are used for school sponsored or school approved curricular
16 or extracurricular events or activities and whenever a school-sponsored
17 athletic contest is held at any location, the public school officials
18 and administrators responsible for such school facility or athletic
19 contest shall ensure the presence of at least one staff person who is
20 trained, pursuant to paragraph (a) of subdivision three of section three
21 thousand-b of the public health law, in the operation and use of an AED.
22 Where a school-sponsored competitive athletic event is held at a site
23 other than a public school facility, the public school officials shall
24 assure that automated external defibrillator equipment is provided
25 on-site at the athletic event and immediately available to athletic
26 coaching and/or training staff.
27 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08466-01-3
