Debate over AED mandate exposes funding and logistics concerns as House considers Preston Settles bill

The Massachusetts House considered House Bill 4993, the Preston Settles Every Minute Counts Act, which would require automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and trained, identifiable personnel at sporting events, gyms and community sports facilities.

Representative Decker (Cambridge), sponsor of the bill, said the measure "is simple, but it's profound. It saves lives," citing a 2022 death of a 15‑year‑old athlete and arguing that immediate access to AEDs and trained responders is critical.

Representative Frost (Auburn) offered multiple floor amendments. Amendment 1 would have established, "subject to appropriation, a Massachusetts AED Communities Fund" under the Department of Public Health to help cities and towns pay for AEDs and related housing/infrastructure; Frost said installation and weather‑proof housing can drive up costs and worried the mandate could be effectively unfunded for some communities. Frost also offered an amendment to permit the Department of Public Health to allow exemptions for remote fields without permanent power.

A roll call on Frost's funding amendment resulted in 26 in the affirmative and 130 in the negative; the amendment was not adopted. A subsequent amendment to create narrow exemptions for remote fields also failed. On the floor, supporters of the bill countered that many AED units cost between roughly $700 and $1,500 and that private fundraising (including a memorial fund cited on the floor) has raised millions to assist communities.

The record shows the House debated costs, housing and charging infrastructure for outdoor AEDs and the balance between public safety obligations and municipal capacity to comply; the amendments proposed targeted mitigation (a fund and exemptions) but were not adopted in the recorded votes. The final status recorded in this session was that the proposed amendments were defeated; the House proceeded with its calendar business.