Subcommittee adopts amendment and favorably reports Smart Heart Act requiring cardiac emergency plans and AED access

The Education Subcommittee adopted a technical amendment and voted to give H.3831, the "Smart Heart Act," a favorable report to the full committee after hearing extensive testimony from the American Heart Association and school administrators.

Katie described the bill as requiring all public school districts and charter school authorizers to adopt and implement a cardiac emergency response plan (CERP) for incidents of sudden cardiac arrest on school grounds or at school‑sponsored athletic events, and said the state board would be directed to develop standards and procedures for CERPs and related training. The bill would require AED accessibility on campus and at athletic venues "subject to funding," and it requires testing and maintenance of devices and training for appropriate school staff.

Andrew Willem, government relations director for the American Heart Association, urged passage as part of a national effort, saying sudden cardiac arrest occurs "over 23,000 times outside of a hospital each year for children under the age of 18" and stressing that quick CPR and AED use greatly improve survival. He told the committee, "Think of a cardiac emergency response plan as a fire drill for cardiac arrest." Sarah Kaye Wren, Miss South Carolina and an AHA school engagement director, recounted a Kentucky case where available AEDs were not used and the student died, and contrasted that with a local South Carolina case in Florence School District 1 in which a CERP and trained staff helped save an 11‑year‑old, Luke Barrett.

Ryan Bailey of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators said districts worked with the AHA on the bill language and clarified implementation: South Carolina currently requires one AED per public high school (a 2008 requirement), and the bill would require additional measures "subject to funding." Bailey said training would focus on personnel reasonably expected to use an AED — high school nurses, athletic trainers, and coaches — rather than every teacher, and committee staff said the bill directs the Department to pursue public and private funding sources to implement the provisions.

Committee adopted a technical amendment refining charter school language and then voted to give the bill a favorable report; votes were by voice and no roll call was recorded. The bill will proceed to the full committee.