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Sen. Ballard’s bill to require school cardiac emergency plans and grants draws strong emotional testimony after local save
Summary
LB463 would require school districts to adopt a standardized cardiac emergency response plan, make AEDs readily accessible and create a grant program (proposed $1.5M) administered by the Department of Education to offset costs; testimony included multiple survivor stories, clinical evidence and a broad coalition of health and school groups.
Sen. Beau Ballard (District 21) introduced LB463, which would require state school safety directors to develop a standardized cardiac emergency response plan for schools to adopt, require accessible AEDs at school sites and set up grants through the Department of Education to help districts pay implementation costs. The bill proposes using the Medicaid Managed Care Excess Profit Fund as the state grant source with a $1,500,000 authorization stated by the introducer.
The hearing featured emotional survivor testimony and broad institutional support. Erin Zavawa described her son Memphis’s out‑of‑school cardiac arrest at a cross‑country meet and credited immediate bystander CPR and rapid access to an AED for his survival. Multiple medical witnesses — including Dr. Matthew Sorensen (pediatric cardiology, electrophysiology, Project ADAM) and Dr. Karla Lester (pediatrician, American Heart Association volunteer) — told the committee that rapid AED access and practiced emergency response plans sharply improve survival for sudden cardiac arrest; they cited a roughly 10% drop in survival for each minute without defibrillation and examples of school saves in Nebraska after plan implementation.
Project ADAM and Children’s Nebraska testified that an organized school plan, regular drills, AED maintenance and basic training for staff and regular volunteers can raise survival rates substantially. Project ADAM and other partners have helped about 225 Nebraska schools reach a “Heart Safe” designation; testifiers said the program has led to at least three documented student saves in recent years. Lincoln Public Schools described its districtwide plan — which requires at least one cardiac response drill annually, AED maintenance and designated response teams — and said every LPS site has Heart Safe recognition.
School governance groups and the Nebraska State Athletic Trainers Association expressed support while noting implementation details and costs. The Nebraska Association of School Boards testified in neutral posture, noting many districts already meet requirements in state rules and NDE guidance; the association asked the committee to consider how the bill overlaps with existing regulations and urged sustainable funding for maintenance/ongoing training, not just initial purchases. Several witnesses recommended clarifying time‑to‑AED language (the bill includes a 3‑minute accessibility target) because some venues (cross‑country courses, remote events) make a strict 3‑minute rule infeasible.
Ending: The committee heard broad support and moving survivor testimony; senators signaled willingness to work on funding and clarifying language (especially the 3‑minute accessibility requirement and overlap with existing rules) while noting Lincoln Public Schools’ model as a state example.
