OHIO — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday signed a bill into law that mandates AEDs in public and non-public schools across the state.

What You Need To Know

  • House Bill 47 was first introduced in February 2023, shortly after Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin's collapse in January 2023 on the field while playing against the Cincinnati Bengals

  • With mandating AEDs, school employees will undergo training on how to use the devices as well as recognize the signs of a heart attack

  • Additionally, the Ohio Department of Health will be tasked with developing a model emergency action plan on the use AEDs for schools, sports groups and centers to adopt

House Bill 47 was first introduced in February 2023, shortly after Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin's collapse in January 2023 on the field while playing against the Cincinnati Bengals. He had suffered a cardiac arrest, and health officials said they were able to save his life by using used AEDs, which stands for automated external defibrillator.

The bill ending up passing the Ohio House in June of last year, and then the Senate passed it June of this year. 

With mandating AEDs, school employees will undergo training on how to use the devices as well as recognize the signs of a heart attack. Additionally, students will have sessions on sudden cardiac arrest at the start of any athletic season. 

Additionally, the Ohio Department of Health will be tasked with developing a model emergency action plan on the use AEDs for schools, sports groups and centers to adopt. 

"Today’s bill-signing is a testament to leadership and teamwork, and I thank and applaud Governor DeWine, the leaders of the Ohio legislature, the bill sponsors, and the many Smart Heart Sports Coalition team members who came together to move this life-saving legislation forward," Hamlin wrote in a statement. 

The Smart Heart Sports Coalition launched in March 2023 by the National Football League, other sports organizations, as well as patient and health advocacy groups, to push for all 50 states to "adopt evidence-based policies that will help prevent fatal outcomes from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) among high school students," according to the coalition's website.

"I’ll always consider Ohio my second home, and I’m delighted that this new law makes the places around the state where young people learn, play, and compete safer, more resilient, and better prepared to respond to a cardiac emergency. This is a big win for young people throughout Ohio," Hamlin said.

Prior to House Bill 47, the school districts decided whether to include AEDs on school property. 

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