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Georgia House drops physician requirement for school AED programs, adds Stop the Bleed kits
Summary
The House passed House Bill 629 to remove the requirement for a licensed physician in school automated external defibrillator (AED) programs, expand AED access into elementary and middle schools, and add Stop the Bleed kits; sponsor said funding comes from the trauma commission and the bill passed 168-0.
Chairman Hawkins presented House Bill 629, which removes a requirement that a licensed physician be involved in automated external defibrillator (AED) programs and extends AED and Stop the Bleed kits into a broader set of schools. Hawkins said AED technology is now straightforward and that the change addresses physician shortages in rural areas.
"This will create more safety and save more lives in the schools and our children in the state," Hawkins said, and explained funding for the kits would come from the trauma commission so there is no impact on the state general fund.
Representative Newton and other members described recent examples in which AEDs revived students and said lowering regulatory burdens would speed device placement in elementary and middle schools. Supporters observed that Stop the Bleed kits complement AEDs and can be positioned together.
The House adopted the committee substitute, agreed to the committee's favorable report, and passed House Bill 629 by recorded vote: yeas 168, nays 0.
