Committee backs bill to adopt national guidelines for AED placement and maintenance in schools

The House Education Committee unanimously advanced Senate Bill 191 on Monday, endorsing a change that would require schools to follow nationally recognized guidelines for placement, storage and maintenance of automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Sponsors and witnesses said AEDs save lives when they are accessible and maintained. The committee approved the bill by roll call and sent it to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation.

Representative Rob Lukens, the bill’s sponsor in the House, described the amended measure as aligning school practice with current American Heart Association guidance — ensuring AEDs are clearly marked, unlocked and reachable within minutes during a cardiac emergency. “More than 23,000 children under the age 18 experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year. In schools with AEDs approximately 70 percent of children survive cardiac arrests,” Lukens said, citing national figures used by proponents.

The American Heart Association’s government relations director, Eric Haidorn, told the committee that rapid defibrillation dramatically improves outcomes. “Ninety percent of people in cardiac arrest who receive a shock from an AED in the first minute will live,” Haidorn said, and survival falls about 10 percentage points for every minute without defibrillation.

Multiple witnesses from school districts and hospitals provided firsthand examples. Ashley Cowan, an athletic trainer at Bear Creek High School, recounted an official who collapsed at a game. Cowan said emergency responders took about five minutes to arrive; staff deployed an on‑site AED and gave a shock “within just 1 minute and 40 seconds,” which restored the official’s normal heart rhythm. “He survived,” Cowan said. Shannon Aberton, an athletic trainer at Boulder High School, described a coach who regained consciousness after two AED shocks and subsequent treatment. Ralph Macaron, parent and nonprofit board chair, recounted his son’s death after an AED could not be retrieved from a locked office; Macaron said locked devices and locked gates contributed to a delayed response.

The bill also removes outdated statutory language that requires physician signatures when a school acquires an AED and language that restricts use to an authorized‑users list; witnesses and sponsors said modern AEDs give clear voice prompts and are designed for use by lay rescuers.

Rural access and placement questions arose in committee. Representative Johnson asked whether schools that host events in remote fields could rely on athletic trainers or medical personnel to carry AEDs to away games. Sponsors said written emergency action plans required under the bill can accommodate use by traveling athletic personnel and that districts already may provide portable AEDs for events.

Costs and funding: Committee members acknowledged the fiscal constraints many districts face. Some members urged state funding or other mechanisms to help smaller or rural districts secure devices and maintenance plans; committee discussion included an offer to explore funding sources during the budget process.

Outcome: Representative Lukens moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; Representative Gilchrist seconded. The roll call vote was unanimous, and the committee chair recorded the passage to the Committee of the Whole.

Ending: Proponents framed SB 191 as a clear, evidence‑based step that makes lifesaving equipment usable when minutes matter. Members flagged funding gaps and said they would pursue options to help districts obtain and maintain AEDs.