Sending Office: Honorable Pete Olson
Sent By:
Kevin.Hartley@mail.house.gov
Support Good Samaritans: Cosponsor H.R. 1227, The Cardiac Arrest Survival Act
Dear Colleague,
Did you know that Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is one of the leading causes of death in the United States? Nearly 350,000 Americans die every year from SCAs, but they don’t have to. Every minute a person goes without receiving defibrillation
their chance of survival can decrease by 10%. The average response to a 911 call is over 7 minutes, leaving patients with almost no chance. Many lives could be saved if Automated External Defibrillators (AED), which are user-friendly so untrained bystanders
can use them, were more widely available.
All 50 states and DC have enacted AED liability laws, but training and liability protections vary widely. This current patchwork of existing federal and state laws governing AED use has led to concerns about liability risk and has impeded the dissemination
of AEDs. The complexity of so many different laws discourages greater use of life-saving defibrillators. As a result, many companies have avoided deployment of AEDs due to the burdens of compliance with these divergent laws.
The Cardiac Arrest Survival Act, establishes a uniform baseline of liability protection for businesses that acquire AEDs and the Good Samaritans who use them to save a life, which could encourage a wider deployment of these life-saving devices. This ensures
that if you or your loved one suffers a SCA, there is an AED nearby to save a life.
This legislation provides businesses that acquire an AED and the Good Samaritans who use them basic liability protection. This bill is NOT a mandate for businesses to acquire an AED and
adds no costs to American taxpayers. It does NOT indemnify device manufacturers, nor does it remove exceptions to current AED liability rules. Individuals may still be liable for willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct,
or a conscious, flagrant indifference for the rights and safety of a victim.
No one should die because a potential Good Samaritan fears being sued. Please join us in cosponsoring this common sense legislation, which provides peace of mind for Good Samaritans and American businesses that use or deploy AEDs.
If you have any questions or would like to co-sponsor the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act, please contact Kevin Hartley (Olson) at
kevin.hartley@mail.house.gov, Lauren Covington (Connolly) at
lauren.covington@mail.house.gov or Charlotte Cowles (Cheney) at
Charlotte.Cowles@mail.house.gov.
Very respectfully,
Pete Olson Gerald Connolly
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Liz Cheney
Member of Congress
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