Senate unanimously passes bill requiring cardiac emergency response plans and AED access in schools

The Missouri Senate on April 9 approved a package (Senate Substitute for Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bills 166 and 155) that establishes cardiac emergency response plans for schools and expands access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Sponsor remarks framed the bill as a life-saving measure. "If you're looking for something that you can say this is gonna save lives someday, this is one of those pieces of legislation," the Senator from Celine, a state senator, told the chamber while explaining the bill on the floor.

The bill was amended on the floor to extend coverage to charter schools, the sponsor said, and discussion from other senators focused on funding and implementation logistics for rural districts. The sponsor and questioners described the funding approach as two-pronged: budget appropriations included in last year's budget and a grant program component. The senator explained there is a request for proposals for the AED grant program on the state contracting website and said the existing budgeted monies should be sufficient to help districts without current AEDs.

Senators praised the measure as a safety step while some sought reassurances about training, deployment and burden on small districts. The sponsor said the bill requires schools to develop response plans and urged coordination with local medical professionals to ensure plans are executable.

The Senate recorded the vote as 32 ayes, 0 noes; the bill was declared passed. The floor record notes titling and perfecting motions were made and carried. The transcript does not include details of implementation timelines beyond references to the grant request for proposals.