Assigned to ED & APPROP AS PASSED BY ADD 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).
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 the provision
of AEDs in schools.
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).
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 the provision of AEDs in schools.
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 at
each school campus and school-sponsored athletic event and ensure that each AED provided
is:
a) in an unlocked location that is accessible during the school day and at each
school-sponsored athletic event; FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1707
Page 2
b) in a location from which the AED may be promptly retrieved and used at the school or
school-sponsored athletic event; and
c) maintained in good working order and tested according the to the manufacturer's
guidelines.
2. Appropriates $500,000 from the state GF in FY 2026 to ADE for the implementation of
requirements relating to the provision of AEDs in schools.
3. Directs ADE to distribute appropriated monies to schools, prioritizing schools in which 50
percent or more of the students are eligible for the Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Program.
4. Allows a school to use the appropriated monies to purchase and maintain AEDs and purchase
other goods and services identified by ADE that are necessary for implementation of
requirements relating to the provision of AEDs in schools.
5. Exempts the $500,000 appropriation from lapsing until June 30, 2027.
6. Allows a school district or charter school to accept gifts, grants, donations and in-kind
donations to purchase and maintain an AED.
7. Defines school-sponsored athletic event as an event that takes place on a school campus and
that is related to a sport or other activity in which students participate as individuals or as
members of a team, including scheduled practices, trainings and competitions.
8. Defines AED.
9. 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 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.
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: FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1707
Page 3
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.
Amendments Adopted by Additional Committee of the Whole
1. Requires an AED to be:
a) in an unlocked location that is accessible during the school day and at each
school-sponsored athletic event; and
b) in a location from which the AED may be promptly retrieved and used at the school or
school-sponsored athletic event.
2. Removes the requirements that an AED be:
a) clearly marked and easily accessible;
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. Removes the requirement on a public school coach to complete specified emergency response
training courses.
4. Removes the authorization for a school district or charter school to accept gifts, grants,
donations and in-kind donations to provide the specified emergency response training courses
to school employees.
5. Requires the ADE to distribute appropriated monies to schools, prioritizing schools in which
50 percent or more of the students are eligible for the Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Program,
rather than 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.
6. Removes the authorization for a school to use distributed monies to purchase cardiopulmonary
resuscitation training kits and provide the specified emergency response training course for
coaches.
7. Specifies that a school-sponsored athletic event is an event that takes place on a school campus. FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1707
Page 4
8. Removes the definition of training.
9. 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 14, 2025
MH/SDR/ci