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Subcommittee adopts measures on bleeding-control kits, cardiac plans and heat-illness guidelines for students
Summary
The subcommittee amended and reported bills to place bleeding-control kits in schools (HB 1700), to require cardiac emergency-response planning (HB 1695, as amended), and to set statewide guidelines for heat-related illness prevention in student athletes (HB 1663).
The House appropriations subcommittee reported three separate school-health measures aimed at reducing preventable deaths and injuries among students and participants in school athletics.
House Bill 1700, sponsored by Delegate Kevin Clark, would require school boards to develop bleeding-control programs integrated into existing emergency plans, and to make bleeding-control kits accessible in primary and secondary schools. The committee adopted an amendment that removed a grant requirement and reported the bill as amended, 6–0. Supporters cited the Stop the Bleed campaign and American College of Surgeons training as readily available resources; several witnesses, including program representatives, said the training and kits have saved lives in other states.
House Bill 1695, sponsored by Delegate Marcus Askew, would require public elementary and secondary schools to adopt cardiac emergency response plans aligned with evidence-based guidelines and to integrate school health stakeholders. The bill was amended on the floor of the subcommittee to remove a grant program provision and then reported as amended; advocates from the American Heart Association and school-nurse organizations testified in support.
House Bill 1663, sponsored by Delegate Jones, would establish uniform statewide guidelines for preventing and managing heat-related illnesses in student athletes and other outdoor activities. The Department of Education told the committee the bill carries no state-level fiscal impact while local impacts are indeterminate; the bill was reported 6–0. Supporters said simple, low-cost measures (portable cooling troughs, monitoring protocols) and uniform standards would address preventable fatalities.
Why it matters: Committee action responds to widely shared testimony that minutes matter in traumatic bleeding, sudden cardiac events and heat-related emergencies. The measures standardize practices across school divisions and require local implementation steps.
Key testimony and points of detail: The American College of Surgeons’ Stop the Bleed training (offered free by some programs) and Faster Saves Lives representatives described multiple documented survivals after bystander intervention. Witness Dr. Wilson (Virginia chapter, American College of Surgeons) said bleeding-control kits “provide the resources to intervene during that hour, or during those minutes where these minutes count.” Gonzalo Bridal of the American Heart Association asked members to “make our schools heart safe, for all students regardless of zip code.”
Votes at a glance: HB 1700 (bleeding-control kits) — amended and reported, 6–0; HB 1695 (cardiac emergency response plans) — amended and reported (voice vote); HB 1663 (heat-illness prevention guidelines) — reported, 6–0.
Next steps: Reported bills will proceed through the legislative calendar; amendments and local implementation details (training, kit placement, reporting) will be specified in subsequent rule language or guidance.
