Requires automated external defibrillator equipment to be immediately available at school-sponsored events; requires school districts, boards of cooperative educational services, county vocational education and extension boards and charter schools to develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7013A
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 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, 2, 3 and 4 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 on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law.
