State Emergency Medical Services Board - Public Access Automated External Defibrillator Program - Revisions
SB0024 revises Maryland’s Public Access Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Program, which is administered by the State Emergency Medical Services Board. The bill adds a formal role for an “AED coordinator” designated by each registered entity to ensure compliance with program requirements, maintain AED functionality, promote awareness of AED location and use, and help manage related reporting and maintenance obligations. It also updates terminology throughout the statute from “facility” to “entity,” broadening and modernizing the program’s language.
The bill continues the requirement that entities seeking to make AEDs publicly available obtain and maintain a certificate from the EMS Board, but it creates a lighter compliance path for grocery stores and restaurants. Those businesses must register their name with the program and maintain AED functionality, while other entities remain subject to additional training and coordinator requirements. The bill also requires registered entities to report AED use using an Institute-provided form, and it preserves the EMS Board’s authority to issue, renew, deny, suspend, or revoke certificates and to seek enforcement action for violations.
SB0024 also makes targeted changes to related laws. It amends the Health–General Article so grocery stores and restaurants must comply with the AED Program requirements under Education Article § 13-517, and it removes the prior standalone maintenance language from that section. In addition, it exempts law enforcement agencies from needing a certificate for an AED deployed in a patrol vehicle, reducing administrative burden for police and sheriff agencies. The bill repeals references to regional council AED committees, shifting oversight and reporting away from that structure.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill’s legislative history was strongly favorable. It passed the Senate unanimously and the House by a wide margin, indicating broad bipartisan support and little recorded opposition. The lack of committee transcript material suggests there was no major public controversy documented in the available record.
The main points of distinction are administrative rather than ideological: who must obtain certification, what training and maintenance duties apply, and how much oversight is required for different types of entities. The most notable policy choices are the new AED coordinator requirement, the reduced certification burden for grocery stores and restaurants, and the exemption for law enforcement patrol vehicles. These changes appear aimed at simplifying compliance while preserving public access to AEDs and related emergency response readiness.
The bill amends Maryland’s Education Article § 13-517 and Health–General Article § 21-330.3, while also referencing the Public Safety Article definition of law enforcement agency. It changes the regulatory framework for public AED deployment by expanding the EMS Board’s oversight role, creating an AED coordinator requirement for registered entities, eliminating the regional council AED committee references, and establishing a separate, simplified certification standard for grocery stores and restaurants. It also exempts law enforcement agencies from certification for AEDs placed in patrol vehicles and requires reporting of AED use through an Institute form.
The bill appears to have been received positively and with little controversy. It passed both chambers overwhelmingly, including a unanimous Senate vote and a near-unanimous House vote, suggesting broad support for the program revisions. No committee transcript concerns are available in the record provided, and the legislative history does not show significant organized opposition.
The principal points of contention, to the extent they exist, are operational and regulatory rather than political. The bill reduces obligations for grocery stores and restaurants, which may have been intended to ease compliance for those businesses, while other entities retain more extensive coordinator and training requirements. Another notable issue is the exemption for law enforcement patrol vehicles, which removes a certification requirement that applies to most other AED holders. The repeal of regional council AED committees also shifts oversight authority and may have altered the role of regional stakeholders in AED program administration.