HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2896        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3912

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Ryan M. Hamilton

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to automated external defibrillators in sporting facilities and stadiums.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2896        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3912

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act relative to automated external defibrillators in sporting facilities and stadiums.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 245. (a) For the purposes of this section the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

“AED”, an automatic external defibrillator.

“Sporting facility”, an enclosed area of sports pavilions, stadiums, gymnasiums, boxing arenas, swimming pools, roller and ice rinks, bowling alleys, baseball fields and other stable locations for sports centered around cardiovascular activity where members of the general public assemble to engage in athletic competition or witness sporting events.

(b) All sporting facilities shall have and maintain at least 1 AED on the premises that is readily available during an athletic event.

(c) All sporting facilities that are regulatory staffed by paid employees shall have in attendance during staffed business hours at least 1 employee or authorized volunteer readily available who is an AED provider having current certification in a training course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and in the use of an AED in accordance with the standards established by the American Heart Association, Inc. or the American National Red Cross.

(d) An AED provider on staff at sporting facilities who, in good faith, attempts to render emergency care, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation or defibrillation, and does so without compensation, shall not be liable for acts or omissions, other than gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct, resulting from the attempt to render such emergency care.

(e) A placard shall be installed at every sporting facility entryway with a map of the location of key medical devices at the facility. The placard shall include a quick response code making available resources for basic and advanced first aid courses available to the staff and public.

(f) The department shall establish regulations and guidelines for the implementation, training, support and supervision of this section. The department shall make available to sports facilities a list of grants and other funding sources that a sports facility may access to facilitate the purchase of AEDs.

(g) The department shall establish a registry for all AEDs located in sporting facilities. Registration shall include the sporting facility address and the location of the AED in the sporting facility.

(h) The department shall inspect all AEDs installed in any newly constructed sporting facility or, in lieu thereof, may delegate any such inspection to a local board of health. The sporting facility shall not be opened to the public until the AED is installed and inspected pursuant to this subsection.

(i) Any sporting facility that violates any provision of this section shall receive a written citation by the department for noncompliance. Any sporting facility still not in compliance after receiving a written citation shall be fined by the department, an amount not less than $2,500 per day until compliance occurs.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect 180 days after its passage.