SEN. FARLEY REPORTS SENATE PASSES CPR IN SCHOOLS BILL

State Senator Hugh T. Farley (R, C, I – Schenectady) reports that he and his colleagues in the New York State Senate passed legislation recently that would enable high school students to be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of automated defibrillators (AEDs).

According to the American Heart Association, about 400,000 people have sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital every year, and only about 10 percent of them survive, most likely because they don’t receive timely CPR. Given right away, CPR doubles or triples survival rates.

The bill (S7096) requires the Commissioner of Education to make recommendations to the Board of Regents to enabling high schools to train students in hands-on CPR and the use of AEDs. The Commissioner would be required to consider time and financial impacts of the instruction and seek input from impacted parties such as teachers, parents, students, administrators and others.

The bill is sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg.