Larry Pontbriant Athletic Safety Fund

CONNECTICUT AED LEGISLATION 2009

Great News!

Both the AED in schools bill SB981 and the act concerning Automated External Defibrilators SB 1081 passed and have been signed into Connecticut Law.

5/3/09 Update

Two AED bills are currently on the Senate floor in Connecticut:

SB 981, AN ACT CONCERNING THE AVAILABILITY OF AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLAORS IN SCHOOLS. 
This bill was spearheaded by the Connecticut Athletic Trainers Association.  The bill as it reads now on the Senate floor can be found at this link:  http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/fc/2009sb-00981-r000833-fc.htm.   The original raised bill can be read at www.cga.ct.gov.  At the top under "Quick Search" after "Number", type in "981".

SB 1089, AN ACT CONCERNING AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS.
This is the stand alone "Good Samaritan" bill concerning immunity protections involving AEDs. This bill was spearheaded by the American Heart Association.  The bill as it reads now on the Senate floor can be found at this link:  http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/lcoamd/2009lco06369-r00-amd.htm.  The original raised bill can be read at www.cga.ct.gov.  At the top under "Quick Search" after "Number", type in "1089".

An AEDs IN SCHOOLS BILL and a stand alone GOOD SAMARITAN PROTECTIONS BILL needed to be kept separate (not linked together in one bill) to prevent either bill from being defeated.  A clause had to be included in the AEDS IN SCHOOLS BILL saying that if a school could not afford an AED, it could not be made to get one.  By doing so, SB 981 was NOT an unfunded mandate, requiring NO state funding which would have killed the bill in this economy.  The AHA's original bill never had a hearing; instead, through compromise, SB 1089 eventually emerged as the stand alone Good Sam bill.

Both these bills now on the Senate floor need to be voted out of the Senate and on to the House of Representatives.  Time is running out as the current Legislative Session ends June 3, 2009.