INDIANAPOLIS — Several state legislatures are considering legislation related to automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Indiana's Senate Health and Provider Services Committee recently introduced a bill requiring all health clubs to have an AED.
The bill (Senate Bill 134) also requires health clubs to employ at least one person trained to use an AED, have that person at the health club during business hours and ensure compliance with other defibrillator requirements. The bill, however, does not include liability protection.
Connecticut and Hawaii are also considering similar AED bills, but both of those bills would have liability protection.
New York introduced a bill that would increase the tax credit for the purchase of an AED from $500 to $1,500.
Richard Lazar, president and CEO of the Early Defibrillator Law and Policy Center in Portland, OR, has noticed an increase in the activity of AED-related bills.
“Health clubs by far have been the main subject in the AED universe, as opposed to schools, law enforcement vehicles and nursing homes,” Lazar says.