HBA-MPM C.S.H.B. 821 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 821 By: Giddings Public Education 3/26/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The American Heart Association estimates that each day more than 95 percent of Americans who suffer sudden cardiac arrest die before reaching the hospital. Additionally, at least 50,000 lives could be saved each year if the national sudden cardiac arrest survival rate could be increased from five percent to 20 percent or higher. One course of action that might increase survival rates is the chain of survival, a fourstep process of providing treatment to victims of sudden cardiac arrest which includes administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). More lives could potentially be saved if more people were skilled in CPR. C.S.H.B. 821 requires a school district to offer a CPR course to students at or above the ninth grade level. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 821 amends the Education Code to require each school district offering kindergarten through grade 12 to offer instruction in the principles and techniques of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as part of the enrichment curriculum. The bill requires the district to offer CPR instruction to students at least once at the ninth grade level or above. The bill requires the Texas Education Agency, through regional education service centers, to provide assistance in implementing CPR instruction to school districts and any entity collaborating with school districts in providing the instruction. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. Provisions requiring CPR instruction for students apply beginning with the 2001-2002 school year. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 821 differs from the original by requiring the Texas Education Agency to provide assistance in implementing the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instruction to school districts and other entities through regional education service centers. The substitute provides that CPR training be offered to students at the ninth grade level or above, while the original specified that the training be offered to students at the seventh grade level or above. The original deleted the requirement that a school district employee serving as head coach or chief sponsor for an extracurricular athletic activity be certified in first aid and CPR, and instead provided that the employee be trained in first aid and CPR and submit proof of training to the district. The substitute restores this provision of the law.