File No. 833

Senate, April 29, 2009

The Committee on Appropriations reported through SEN. HARP of the 10th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE AVAILABILITY OF AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS IN SCHOOLS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2009) (a) On and after July 1, 2010, subject to the provisions of subsection (d) of this section, each local and regional board of education shall have at each school under the board's jurisdiction: (1) An automatic external defibrillator; and (2) school personnel trained in the operation of such automatic external defibrillator and the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The automatic external defibrillator and school personnel trained in the operation of an automatic external defibrillator and the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation shall be accessible during the school's normal operational hours, during school-sponsored athletic practices and athletic events taking place on school grounds and during school sponsored events not occurring during the normal operational hours of the school.

(b) Not later than July 1, 2010, each school shall develop an emergency action response plan that addresses the appropriate use of school personnel to respond to incidents involving an individual experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or a similar life-threatening emergency while on school grounds.

(c) Not later than July 1, 2010, each school with an athletic department or organized athletic program shall develop an emergency action response plan that addresses the appropriate use of school personnel to respond to incidents involving an individual experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or a similar life-threatening emergency while attending or participating in an athletic practice or event while on school grounds.

(d) A local or regional board of education shall not be required to comply with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section if federal, state or private funding is not available to such local and regional board of education to purchase an automatic external defibrillator and pay for the training of school personnel described in said subsection (a). A local and regional board of education may accept a donation of an automatic external defibrillator that meets the standards established by the United States Food and Drug Administration and is in compliance with the device manufacturer's maintenance schedule. A local and regional board of education may accept gifts, grants and donations, including in-kind donations designated for the purchase of an automatic external defibrillator and for the costs incurred to inspect and maintain such device and train staff in the use of such device.

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

In subsection (a), the phrase "at each school under the board's jurisdiction", which previously appeared at the end of the first sentence, was inserted before the subparagraph indicators for added clarity.

The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst's professional knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact: None

Municipal Impact:

Explanation

The bill requires each school operated by a local and regional board of education to have an automatic external defibrillator (AED), and school personnel trained in the operation of such equipment (there are approximately 1,000 schools in CT.)

Currently, between 15 and 20 percent of municipalities are designated as HEARTsafe communities, which means that they have purchased an AED and have AED's publically located. For those municipalities that have not purchased an AED they would incur a cost associated with purchasing one, which is anticipated to be approximately $1,300 each. Additionally, municipalities could incur a cost associated with training school personnel to properly operate the AED's. The cost associated with the training is expected to be minimal. Lastly, municipalities could incur costs associated with staffing school events not taking place during normal school hours, to ensure that each event is staffed by personnel trained in using an AED.

The bill states that a local or regional board of education shall not be required to comply with the provisions contained in the bill if federal, state or private funding is not available.

The Out Years

The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation, except for the cost associated with the purchase of AED's, which is one-time in nature.

Sources: http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/aids_and_chronic/chronic_disease/pdf/heartsafe_communities.pdf

OLR Bill Analysis

sSB 981

AN ACT CONCERNING THE AVAILABILITY OF AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS IN SCHOOLS.

SUMMARY:

This bill requires a school board to have at each school in its jurisdiction, if funding is available, (1) an automatic external defibrillator (AED) and (2) school staff trained in its use and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The bill allows school boards to accept donated AEDs under certain conditions. It also allows boards to accept gifts, donations, and grants for AED acquisition and staff training costs.

It also requires each school to develop emergency action response plans addressing appropriate use of school personnel to respond to individuals experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or similar life-threatening emergencies.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2009

AEDS IN SCHOOLS; FUNDING

Beginning July 1, 2010, the bill requires each local and regional board of education to have at each school under its jurisdiction (1) an AED and (2) school personnel trained in AED operation and CPR. The AED and trained personnel must be available during (1) the school's normal operational hours, (2) school-sponsored athletic events and practices on school grounds, and (3) school-sponsored events not taking place during normal school operational hours.

Under the bill, a board of education does not have to comply with these provisions if state, federal, or private funding is not available to it for AED purchasing and for school personnel training.

The bill allows a board to accept an AED donation if the AED meets U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards and is in compliance with the manufacturer's maintenance schedule. A board may accept gifts, grants, and donations, including in-kind donations, designated for an AED purchase and the costs of (1) inspecting and maintaining the device and (2) training staff in its use.

EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE PLANS

By July 1, 2010, each school must develop an emergency action response plan addressing the appropriate use of school personnel to respond to individuals experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or similar life-threatening emergency while on school grounds. Also by that date, each school with an athletic department or organized athletic program must develop an emergency action response plan addressing appropriate school personnel response to the same circumstances while attending or participating in an athletic event or practice on school grounds.

BACKGROUND

Related Bill

sSB 1089 (File 683) provides civil immunity for acts arising out of a person's or entity's negligence in providing, using, or monitoring an AED at licensed health clubs in emergencies.

COMMITTEE ACTION

Public Health Committee

Joint Favorable Change of Reference

Education Committee

Joint Favorable Change of Reference

Appropriations Committee

Joint Favorable