South Carolina H 3831: Smart Heart Act

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3831 Text of Previous Version (Mar. 17, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3831

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Committee Amendment Adopted

March 17, 2026

H. 3831

Introduced by Reps. Lawson, Hayes, Sessions, T. 
Moore, McCravy, Guffey, Chapman, M. M. Smith, Gagnon, Martin, Moss, Duncan, 
Sanders, Grant, Howard, Bauer, Pedalino, Robbins, Schuessler, Rivers and Waters 

S. Printed 3/17/26--S.

Read the first time April 9, 2025

________

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE 
"SMART HEART ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 59-17-165 SO AS TO PROVIDE DEFINITIONS AND 
TO PROVIDE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A CARDIAC EMERGENCY 
RESPONSE PLAN IN EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 59-17-155, 
RELATING TO THE AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR PROGRAM IN HIGH SCHOOLS, SO AS 
TO PROVIDE EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL SHALL ENSURE THE PRESENCE OF AN AUTOMATED 
EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR ONSITE AND WITHIN CERTAIN PROXIMITY OF SCHOOL ATHLETIC 
VENUES, AND TO PROVIDE RELATED TESTING, MAINTENANCE, AND PERSONNEL TRAINING 
REQUIREMENTS.

 Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the "Smart Heart Act."

SECTION 2. Chapter 17, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

 Section 
59-17-165. (A) As used in this 
section:

 (1) 
"Cardiac Emergency Response Plan" or "CERP" means a written document that 
establishes the specific steps to reduce death from cardiac arrest in a school, 
workplace, sports facility, or any other school setting.

 (2) 
"Automated External Defibrillator" or "AED" has the same meaning as found in 
Section 44-76-20.

 (3) 
"Sudden Cardiac Arrest" means the occurrence of when the heart malfunctions and 
stops beating unexpectedly.

 (B) 
Each public school district or charter school boards of trustees shall develop 
a cardiac emergency response plan that addresses the appropriate use of school 
personnel to respond to incidents involving an individual experiencing sudden 
cardiac arrest or a similar life-threatening emergency while on school grounds.

 (C) 
Each public school district or charter school with an athletic department or 
organized athletic program that competes in interscholastic activities shall 
address in their CERP the appropriate use of school personnel to respond to 
incidents involving an individual experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or a 
similar life-threatening emergency while attending or participating in a 
school-sponsored athletic practice or event.

 (D)(1) The State Board of Education shall 
develop standards, practices, and procedures that must be adopted by public 
school districts and charter school board of trustees when developing a CERP 
and utilizing training in accordance with nationally recognized, evidence-based 
standards. Each CERP shall contain at the minimum, the following elements:

 (a) 
establishment of a school-level cardiac emergency response team;

 (b) 
activation of the team in response to a sudden cardiac arrest;

 (c) 
implementation of AED placement and routine maintenance within each school 
campus;

 (d) 
maintaining ongoing designated staff training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation 
and AED use;

 (e) 
periodic practice of CERP function which may include drills involving 
individuals identified by the school-level cardiac emergency response team;

 (f) 
integration of local medical resources into the plan; and

 (g) 
ongoing and annual review and evaluation of the plan.

 (2) 
If a school's athletics department has a policy, procedure, or plan that 
addresses catastrophic injury situations within sports, including cardiac 
emergencies, that meets or exceeds the elements of a CERP required in item 
(1), then the school's policy, procedure, or plan satisfies the requirements of 
item (1).

 (3) 
District officials and charter schools shall work with local emergency service 
providers to integrate the community's emergency management system (EMS) 
protocols in its CERP.

 (E) 
Appropriate AED placement must comply with the CERP in accordance with 
evidence-based, emergency cardiovascular care guidelines.

 (F) A 
private school, as defined in Section 59-1-110, or a private institution 
sponsoring an athletic team or sport in which its students or teams compete 
against a traditional or charter public school must also comply with this 
section for the applicable team or sport.

 (G) 
Subject to funding by the General Assembly or South Carolina Department of 
Education, appropriate school staff must be trained in first aid, CPR, and AED 
that meet standards adopted by the State Board. Designation of staff to be 
trained pursuant to this subsection must be determined by the CERP which may