Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3485 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		89R5515 KJE-D
2	2		By: VanDeaver H.B. No. 3485
3		-
4		-
5	3
6	4
7	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	6		AN ACT
9	7		relating to the availability and instruction on the use of
10	8		automated external defibrillators and a cardiac emergency response
11	9		plan at public schools and certain private schools in this state.
12	10		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	11		SECTION 1. Section 22.902(c), Education Code, is amended to
14	12		read as follows:
15	13		(c) Each school nurse, assistant school nurse, athletic
16	14		coach or sponsor, physical education instructor, marching band
17	15		director, cheerleading coach, and any other school employee
18	16		specified by the commissioner and each student who serves as an
19	17		athletic trainer must participate in the instruction in the use of
20	18		an automated external defibrillator. A person described by this
21	19		subsection must receive and maintain certification in the use of an
22	20		automated external defibrillator from the American Heart
23	21		Association, the American Red Cross, or a similar nationally
24	22		recognized, guidelines-based organization focused on emergency
25	23		cardiovascular care [association].
26	24		SECTION 2. Section 38.017(a), Education Code, is amended to
27	25		read as follows:
28	26		(a) Each school district shall make available at each campus
29	27		in the district the number of [at least one] automated external
30	28		defibrillators [defibrillator], as defined by Section 779.001,
31	29		Health and Safety Code, necessary for a defibrillator to be
32	30		accessible from any location on campus so that a person may provide
33	31		emergency care to a person in cardiac arrest within three minutes of
34	32		being notified of a possible medical emergency involving cardiac
35	33		arrest. A campus defibrillator must be readily available during
36	34		any University Interscholastic League athletic competition held on
37	35		the campus. In determining the placement of [location at which to
38	36		store] a campus defibrillator, the principal of the campus shall
39	37		consider the guidelines from the American Heart Association or
40	38		another organization with expertise in emergency cardiovascular
41	39		care and ensure that the defibrillator is clearly marked [primary
42	40		location on campus where students engage in athletic activities].
43	41		SECTION 3. Section 38.018, Education Code, is amended to
44	42		read as follows:
45	43		Sec. 38.018. [PROCEDURES REGARDING RESPONSE TO] CARDIAC
46	44		EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN [ARREST]. (a) Each school district and
47	45		private school shall develop and implement a cardiac emergency
48	46		response plan that establishes safety procedures for a district or
49	47		school employee or other appropriate personnel [student] to follow
50	48		in responding to a medical emergency involving cardiac arrest on
51	49		district or school grounds[, including the appropriate response
52	50		time in administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation, using an
53	51		automated external defibrillator, as defined by Section 779.001,
54	52		Health and Safety Code, or calling a local emergency medical
55	53		services provider].
56	54		(b) In developing the plan, the district or school shall:
57	55		(1) work directly with local emergency services
58	56		providers to integrate the plan with the providers' protocols; and
59	57		(2) incorporate evidence-based practices, such as the
60	58		American Heart Association's core elements for cardiac emergency
61	59		response plans.
62	60		(c) The plan must include at a minimum:
63	61		(1) the establishment of a cardiac emergency response
64	62		team;
65	63		(2) procedures for activating the cardiac emergency
66	64		response team in response to a medical emergency involving cardiac
67	65		arrest;
68	66		(3) the dissemination of the plan throughout each
69	67		district or school campus;
70	68		(4) ongoing training in first aid, cardiopulmonary
71	69		resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators, as
72	70		defined by Section 779.001, Health and Safety Code, using
73	71		evidence-based guidelines, for appropriate district or school
74	72		employees, including school coaches, school nurses, and athletic
75	73		trainers;
76	74		(5) annual practice drills in responding to a medical
77	75		emergency involving cardiac arrest; and
78	76		(6) annual review, evaluation, and, if necessary,
79	77		modification of the plan.
80	78		(d) A private school is required to develop a cardiac
81	79		emergency response plan [safety procedures] under this section only
82	80		if the school receives an automated external defibrillator from the
83	81		agency or receives funding from the agency to purchase or lease an
84	82		automated external defibrillator.
85	83		(e) The commissioner shall establish a grant program to
86	84		award grants to districts and schools to assist with the
87	85		implementation of a cardiac emergency response plan. In awarding
88	86		grants, the commissioner shall prioritize districts or schools at
89	87		which at least 50 percent of enrolled students are educationally
90	88		disadvantaged.
91	89		SECTION 4. Not later than the first instructional day of the
92	90		2027-2028 school year, each public school and private school to
93	91		which Sections 38.017 and 38.018, Education Code, as amended by
94	92		this Act, apply shall make available the number of automated
95	93		external defibrillators and implement a cardiac emergency response
96	94		plan as required by those sections.
97	95		SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
98	96		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
99	97		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
100	98		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
101	99		Act takes effect September 1, 2025.