SB 399, the “Mason Sells AED Coordination Act,” updates Georgia law governing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and related emergency response procedures. The bill requires persons and agencies that possess and maintain an AED to notify the appropriate emergency medical services public safety answering point of the AED’s existence and location before it is placed in use. It also reinforces recommendations for AED training, requires users to call 9-1-1 or the appropriate emergency number as soon as reasonably possible after use, and requires a printed or electronic report to be provided to the transporting EMS provider within a reasonable time.
The bill also revises training and oversight rules for people who instruct others in AED use, and it creates or updates an AED program for emergency medical technicians under Department of Public Health supervision. EMTs using AEDs must complete department-approved training, pass an annual proficiency exam, and comply with reporting and review requirements. In addition, beginning January 1, 2028, all communications officers must complete training in high-quality telephone CPR and instructions that help callers use AEDs, unless they already hold emergency medical dispatch certification. The bill preserves and restates civil liability protections for first responders and others who, in good faith and without gross negligence, use an AED to render emergency care.
Impact
SB 399 amends provisions in Title 31 governing emergency medical services personnel and in Title 35 governing communications officer training. It expands state-level coordination around AED deployment by requiring AED location notification to 911/public safety answering points, formalizing reporting after AED use, and directing the Department of Public Health to promulgate rules and oversee training and program standards. It also imposes a new statewide training mandate for communications officers effective in 2028, while leaving existing liability protections for good-faith emergency use largely intact.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate 46-0 and the House 163-0, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. The lack of committee transcript material suggests there was little recorded public disagreement, and the vote totals point to a strong consensus in favor of improving AED coordination and emergency response readiness.
Contention
No significant opposition is reflected in the available record. The main policy choices in the bill are administrative and operational: requiring AED owners to register location information with emergency dispatch, mandating additional training for communications officers, and setting reporting and proficiency requirements for EMT use of AEDs. Any potential concern would likely center on implementation burdens for AED owners, dispatch centers, and communications officers, but the unanimous votes suggest those issues did not generate notable controversy.
HOPE Scholarship; the inclusion of advanced placement and international baccalaureate fine arts courses in the calculation of grade point averages; provide
Education; all schools that receive state funding with students in any of grades three through five to provide instruction in cursive handwriting to all students by no later than third grade; require
Health; transfer responsibility for oversight of emergency medical services from Department of Public Health to Georgia Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Council
State government; require certain privately funded organizations that operate a shelter or provide outreach services to homeless individuals participate in the Georgia Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
In grounds and buildings, providing for automated external defibrillator placement, inspection, maintenance and plan; in school health services, further providing for automatic external defibrillators; and, in charter schools, further providing for provisions applicable to charter schools and for applicability of other provisions of this act and of other acts and regulations.