Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana HB869: Provide for the sudden cardiac arrest prevention in youth sports
Status: Signed into law, May 19, 2025
What the bill says
An act supporting the prevention of cardiac arrest in youth athletes; requiring the superintendent of public instruction to develop resources; requiring coaches to undergo training on cardiac arrest; requiring coaches to hold informational meetings on cardiac arrest; allowing coaches, trainers, and officials to remove a youth athlete from participation if the youth athlete exhibits warning signs of cardiac arrest; requiring a youth athlete removed from participation to be cleared by a medical professional prior to returning to play…
From the engrossed text:
AN ACT SUPPORTING THE PREVENTION OF CARDIAC ARREST IN YOUTH ATHLETES; REQUIRING THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION TO DEVELOP RESOURCES; REQUIRING COACHES TO UNDERGO TRAINING ON CARDIAC ARREST; REQUIRING COACHES TO HOLD INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS ON CARDIAC ARREST; ALLOWING COACHES, TRAINERS, AND OFFICIALS TO REMOVE A YOUTH ATHLETE FROM PARTICIPATION IF THE YOUTH ATHLETE EXHIBITS WARNING SIGNS OF CARDIAC ARREST; REQUIRING A YOUTH ATHLETE REMOVED FROM PARTICIPATION TO BE CLEARED BY A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL PRIOR TO RETURNING TO PLAY; CLARIFYING THAT THE PURCHASE OF AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS IS ALLOWED AS AN ENHANCEMENT TO SCHOOL AND STUDENT SAFETY AND SECURITY AND IS THEREFORE AN ALLOWABLE EXPENDITURE FOR SCHOOL MAJOR MAINTENANCE AID; CREATING A REIMBURSEMENT GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE COST OF AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS TO BE ADMINISTERED BY THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION; PROVIDING A DEFINITION; PROVIDING AN APPROPRIATION; AMENDING SECTIONS 209-236 AND 20-9-502, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Section 1. Cardiac arrest response for youth athletes -- purpose -- requirements of schools and superintendent of public instruction. (1) The purposes of this section are to: (a) support, adopt, and implement a cardiac emergency response plan in schools that integrates evidence-based core elements in accordance with the American heart association guidelines or other nationally recognized, evidence-based standards; (b) raise awareness among parents of youth athletes about the risks related to cardiac arrest; …