Assembly Health Committee releases bill to fund cardiomyopathy education and school preparedness

Assembly Health Committee Chair Conaway on the committee’s final meeting in his chairmanship moved to release AB 5043, a bill that would require the Department of Health to create and disseminate materials and resources related to cardiomyopathy and appropriate $300,000 for those efforts.

Assemblywoman Simmons, the bill’s sponsor, introduced family members who testified in favor of the measure. "This is something that's very important to my family," she said, and called forward her nephew, Earl Kufin, to testify.

"My name is Earl Kufin," Kufin said in testimony to the committee, "I am a senior at Temple University. When I was 16 years old, I had a cardiac arrest on an outing with my Boy Scout troop. I had passed away for 11 minutes while others waited for an ambulance." Kufin urged schools to adopt education and action plans and to ensure access to up‑to‑date equipment to save students’ lives.

Committee members asked clinicians how frequently hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is detected on routine exams. Chair Conaway and a committee physician explained that HCM is often identified only after targeted evaluation—by family history, a suspicious murmur or an echocardiogram—and that routine exams are less likely to detect the condition without such triggers.

After discussion, the committee moved to release AB 5043 as amended. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from members present, and the bill was released from committee.

Why it matters: Testimony underscored that HCM can be an invisible, life‑threatening condition for young athletes. The measure aims to standardize school education and preparedness so early signs can be identified and lifesaving responses enabled.

Next steps: The bill was released from committee and would proceed to further legislative consideration.