Through years of hard work and persistence, the American Heart Association and the Connecticut Athletic Trainers Association, together with the support of many organizations, individuals, legislators and Sudden Cardiac Arrest survivors and victim’s families and friends, successfully gained the passage of two AED-related bills in May and June of 2009. We, as Larry’s parents, were proud to lend our voices by telling Larry’s story as testimony before the Legislative Committees.
As a result of this concerted effort, these two bills passed into law:
Public Act No. 09-94 AN ACT CONCERNING THE AVAILABILITY OF AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS IN SCHOOLS. (For the complete text of this act, please go to www.cga.ct.gov/2009/ACT/PA/2009PA-00094-R00SB-00981-PA.htm.) This Act begins the process of placing AEDs in Connecticut schools.
Public Act No. 09-59 AN ACT CONCERNING AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS. (For the complete text of this act, please go to www.cga.ct.gov/2009/ACT/PA/2009PA-00059-R00SB-01089-PA.htm.) This Act expands the existing Good Samaritan law, clarifying many issues concerning liabilities and AEDs.
We were honored to be a part of this process.
This link, http://www.cga.ct.gov/2011/rpt/2011-R-0468.htm, provides an overview of Connecticut law on Automated External Defibrillators or AEDs, as of December 15, 2011. It covers the laws as they pertain to schools, public golf courses, certain medical settings, certain emergency vehicles, immunity from liability and training and grants for AED purchase.
Approved June 15, 2012, Public Act No. 12-198 (Substitute House Bill 5348), among other issues, states that “the State Board of Education shall make available curriculum materials and such other materials as may assist local and regional boards of ed in developing instructional programs pursuant to this section. The State Board of Ed, within available appropriations and utilizing available resource materials, shall assist and encourage local and regional boards of ed to include (among others) (7) training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automatic (automated) external defibrillators”. To read the full text, click on http://www.cga.ct.gov/2012/ACT/PA/2012PA-00198-R00HB-05348-PA.htm.
Bill 316 was raised in the Connecticut General Assembly in 2002 to create an AED Task Force but no action was taken.
Raised Senate Bill 1050 (LCO No. 3804) in 2011 called for the availability of AEDs in certain health care settings where sudden cardiac arrest was most likely to occur. This bill appears to have been tabled.
Raised House Bill 6266 in 2011 called for requirements regarding placement, maintenance and use of AEDs in health clubs but it was referred to the Committee on Appropriations and appears to have stopped there.
To follow any legislative activities in our Connecticut General Assembly, www.cga.ct.gov is a great resource and can help track any of these bills and acts listed above.
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