Committee adopts Smart Heart Act amendment, advances AED and cardiac response requirements for schools

The Senate Education Committee adopted a subcommittee amendment and gave a favorable report to H303831, the Smart Heart Act, after staff and the sponsor described the measure’s requirements for cardiac emergency planning and AED access.

Research director Katie Grinstead (S2) summarized the bill’s requirements: districts and charter school authorizers must adopt a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP) for sudden cardiac arrest incidents on campus or at school‑sponsored athletic events; the State Board of Education would develop standards and training elements; and, subject to funding, districts must ensure AEDs are accessible at on‑campus athletic venues and maintained and tested. “If a school district already has a policy that meets or exceeds the elements of this required item, then the school's policy would be found to be satisfied,” Grinstead said.

Senator Johnson (S4) said the South Carolina Heart Association supported the bill and cited testimony that immediate intervention is critical: “90 percent of cardiac arrest is fatal without immediate intervention,” he said, and noted an 11‑year‑old in Florence survived because of an AED.

Senator Cash (S8) asked whether the bill would require a device at each separate athletic location; sponsors said the requirement is accessibility for sporting events and practices rather than a mandate to place an AED at every separate site if proximity makes that unnecessary. The committee adopted a cleanup amendment and voted to report the bill favorably as amended.

Supporters said the bill formalizes training and access expectations and avoids duplicative requirements for districts that already meet the standards; the amendment updated terminology and adjusted an effective date to align with the school year.