Assigned to ED & APPROP AS PASSED BY COW
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1707
public high schools; AEDs; requirements
Purpose
An emergency measure that requires, beginning August 1, 2025, each public school that
provides instruction to students in grades 9 through 12 and sponsors an athletic team or sports
program to purchase, provide, maintain and keep an automated external defibrillator (AED) and
require each coach to complete outlined emergency health trainings. Appropriates $500,000 from
the state General Fund (state GF) in FY 2026 to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) for
the implementation of requirements relating to AEDs in schools and emergency health training
courses for coaches.
Background
An AED is a medical device heart monitor and defibrillator that: 1) is approved for
premarket modification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; 2) is capable of recognizing
the presence or absence of ventricular fibrillation or rapid ventricular tachycardia; 3) is capable of
determining, without intervention by an operator, if defibrillation should be performed; and
4) automatically charges and delivers an electrical impulse to a person's heart when the AED
determines that defibrillation should be performed. Defibrillation is the administration of a
controlled electrical charge to the heart to restore a viable cardiac rhythm (A.R.S. § 36-2261).
A person or entity that acquires an AED must: 1) enter into an agreement with a physician
to oversee the aspects of public access to defibrillation; 2) require each trained user who uses an
AED on a person in cardiac arrest to call 911 as soon as possible; 3) submit a written report to the
Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems in the Department of Health Services
within five working days after the AED's use; and 4) ensure that the AED is maintained in good
working order and tested according to the manufacturer's guidelines. A person is exempt from the
outlined requirements if the person obtains an AED for home use pursuant to a physician's
prescription or is employed as a firefighter, emergency medical care technician or ambulance
attendant (A.R.S. §§ 36-2262 and 36-2264).
Training, as it relates to AEDs, means a state-approved course in cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an AED for the lay rescuer and first responder, including the
course adopted by the American Heart Association and in effect as of December 31, 1998 (A.R.S.
§ 36-2261).
S.B. 1707 appropriates $500,000 from the state GF in FY 2026 to ADE to distribute to
outlined schools for implementation of requirements relating to AEDs in schools and emergency
health training courses for coaches. FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1707
Page 2
Provisions
1. Requires, beginning August 1, 2025, each public school that provides instruction to students
in grades 9 through 12 and sponsors an athletic team or sports program to provide an AED that
is in an unlocked location, maintained in good working order and tested according to the
manufacturer's guidelines.
2. Specifies that an AED that is in an unlocked location must be:
a) clearly marked and easily accessible during the school day and at any school-sponsored
athletic event;
b) in a location from which the AED may be retrieved and used in three minutes or less;
c) in close proximity to each school-sponsored athletic event and venue at which a
school-sponsored athletic event is held; and
d) consistent with nationally recognized emergency cardiovascular care guidelines.
3. Requires, beginning August 1, 2025, each public school that provides instruction to students
in grades 9 through 12 and sponsors an athletic team or sports program to require each coach
to complete a training course in CPR, first aid and the use of AEDs that follows nationally
recognized cardiovascular care guidelines.
4. Appropriates $500,000 from the state GF in FY 2026 to ADE for the implementation of
requirements relating to AEDs in schools and emergency health training courses for coaches.
5. Requires ADE to distribute appropriated monies to any school that has a total ending cash
balance of $5,000,000 or less according to the most recent annual financial report.
6. Allows a school to use the appropriated monies to:
a) purchase and maintain AEDs;
b) purchase CPR training kits;
c) provide a training course for coaches that follows nationally recognized emergency
cardiovascular care guidelines; and
d) purchase other goods and services identified by ADE that are necessary for implementation
of requirements relating to AEDs in schools and emergency health training courses for
coaches.
7. Exempts the $500,000 appropriation from lapsing until June 30, 2027.
8. Allows a school district or charter school to accept gifts, grants, donations and in-kind
donations to purchase and maintain an AED and to provide the required emergency health
training to school employees.
9. Defines AED, training and school-sponsored athletic event.
10. Becomes effective on signature of the Governor, if the emergency clause is enacted.
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Modifies requirements relating to the provision of an automated external defibrillator (AED)
by requiring the AED to be:
a) clearly marked and easily accessible during the school day and at each
school-sponsored event; FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1707
Page 3
b) in a location from which the AED may be retrieved and used in three minutes or less;
c) in close proximity to each school-sponsored event and venue at which a
school-sponsored event is held; and
d) consistent with nationally recognized emergency cardiovascular care guidelines.
2. Requires each public school that sponsors an athletic team or program for high school students
to require each coach to complete a training course in CPR, first aid and the use of AEDs that
follows nationally recognized cardiovascular care guidelines.
3. Appropriates $500,000 from the state GF in FY 2026 to ADE for the implementation of
requirements relating to AEDs in schools and outlined training courses for coaches.
4. Requires ADE to distribute appropriated monies to any school that has a total ending cash
balance of $5,000,000 or less according to the most recent annual financial report that is
published by the school.
5. Allows a school to use distributed monies to:
a) purchase and maintain AEDs as prescribed;
b) purchase CPR training kits;
c) provide the outlined training course for coaches; and
d) purchase other goods and services identified by ADE that are necessary for implementing
the outlined requirements relating to AEDs in schools.
6. Exempts the appropriation from lapsing until June 30, 2027.
7. Allows a school district or charter school to accept gifts, grants, donations and
in-kind donations to provide the outlined required training to school employees.
8. Defines training.
9. Adds an emergency clause.
10. Makes technical and conforming changes.
Senate Action
ED 2/19/25 DP 6-0-1
APPROP 2/25/25 DP 9-0-1
Prepared by Senate Research
March 6, 2025
MH/SDR/ci