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Committee sends sudden cardiac arrest awareness bill for student athletes to the floor, 8‑5
Summary
House Bill 313, requiring parental acknowledgment and wider access to sudden cardiac arrest training for coaches and parents, was sent to the floor with a do‑pass recommendation after extended debate; the roll call was 8 in favor, 5 opposed, 2 absent.
The House Health and Welfare Committee voted 8‑5, with two members absent, to send House Bill 313 to the floor with a do‑pass recommendation after extended debate on scope, liability and parental requirements.
Representative Josh Wheeler, sponsor of HB 313, described the bill as a revision of earlier House Bill 60 and said it aims to expand awareness of sudden cardiac arrest among parents, student athletes and coaches. "This bill is designed to honor and empower parental rights by ensuring that parents, student athletes and coaches all have the same life saving knowledge," Wheeler said, adding that materials were developed by an organization called Simon's Heart and that the Idaho High School Activities Association had been involved in drafting language.
Representative Healy, who spoke to the health background, explained medical conditions that can cause sudden cardiac events in young athletes, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and long QT syndromes, and said wider awareness and use of AEDs can save lives. The bill requires that parents receive and acknowledge training materials; Wheeler described the parent requirement as similar to existing concussion‑related parent education statutes.
Opponents said they worried the requirement to have parents undergo or acknowledge training was government overreach and raised questions about the frequency and cost of training. Representative Thompson said she would oppose the bill because she considered making training mandatory for parents to be an overreach. Representative Levitt and Representative Kaler also expressed reservations about expanding requirements for volunteers and parents.
On the roll call, the chair and these representatives voted aye: Chairman (aye), Representative Healy (aye), Representative Wheeler (aye), Representative Beissinger (aye), Representative Furman (yes), Representative McCann (yes), Representative Rubel (yes) and Representative Egbert (yes). Those voting no were Representatives Burgoyne, Kaler, Leavitt, Rasor and Thompson. The clerk recorded two absences. The motion passed 8 in favor, 5 against, 2 absent; HB 313 is sent to the House floor with a do‑pass recommendation.
