NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A5260
SPONSOR: Brown K TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring cardiopulmo-
nary resuscitation instruction as a part of the health education curric-
ulum in all senior high schools
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Requires cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction as a part of the
health education curriculum in all senior high schools.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Section 804-c of the education law, as added by chapter 269
of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows: § 804-c. Cardiopul-
monary resuscitation instruction. 1. Instructions regarding cardiopulmo-
nary resuscitation
MAY shall be offered for voluntary admission as a
part of the health education curriculum in all senior high schools. In
addition to the requirement that all teachers of health education shall
be certified to teach health, persons instructing pupils in cardiopulmo-
nary resuscitation shall possess valid certification by an agency offer-
ing such certification in the performance of cardiopulmonary resusci-
tation and in its instruction.
2. The commissioner may prescribe regulations governing such health
education courses which shall include instruction in cardiopulmonary
resuscitation. Such regulations shall in no event prescribe a course of
study in cardiopulmonary resuscitation which sets forth standards for
instruction of a lesser quality than the requirements of the programs
adopted by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross. 3
School authorities
THAT CHOOSE TO OFFER SUCH COURSE shall provide the
needed facilities, time and place for the instruction set forth herein
and shall provide 1 earning aids and curriculum resource materials to
support such course of study.
Section 2: Identifies effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
One of the leading causes of death in the United States is sudden cardi-
ac arrest, claiming an estimated 350,000 lives every year. The chance of
survival is greatly increased by the administration of a defibrillator.
The American Heart Association has estimated that as many as 100,000
deaths could be prevented each year through the widespread use of a
defibrillator.
Defibrillators are a highly effective means of saving lives. Sudden
cardiac arrest is generally caused by an electrical malfunction of the
heart called ventricular fibrillation. Defibrillators stop ventricular
fibrillation by applying an electric pulse to the heart, allowing a
normal heart rhythm to resume. The administration of a defibrillator is
highly successful when used within the first few minutes following
sudden cardiac arrest. However, the likelihood of successful resusci-
tation decreases by approximately ten percent with each minute following
the onset of sudden cardiac arrest.
The strenuous activities involved in the school sports programs are
enough to warrant the need for a cardiac defibrillator at a facility
accommodating one thousand (1,000) or more persons. This bill would
ensure that every graduating high school student would be certified in
knowing how to use these devices and perform CPR.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: A.08058
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date
on which it shall have become a law.
