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SB1131 • 2026

cardiac emergency response plans; schools

SB1131 - (NOW: public schools; automated defibrillators; appropriation)

Budget Education Technology
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
David Gowan
Last action
2026-03-16
Official status
House second read
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify what happens to remaining funds after fiscal year 2027.

Schools Must Report on Heart Emergency Preparedness and Get Funding for Defibrillators

This bill requires schools to report their heart emergency preparedness plans by November 1, 2026, and allows the Department of Education to distribute $1 million in fiscal year 2027 for purchasing or maintaining automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

What This Bill Does

  • Requires each school district and charter school to report their heart emergency preparedness plans to the Arizona Department of Education by November 1, 2026.
  • The Department of Education must compile these reports and post them online by December 1, 2026.
  • Appropriates $1 million from state funds in fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Education to distribute to schools for purchasing or maintaining AEDs.
  • Requires that rural schools receive priority when distributing funds.

Who It Names or Affects

  • School districts and charter schools in Arizona
  • The Department of Education

Terms To Know

Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
A device that can detect heart problems and deliver an electric shock to restart a person's heart.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the remaining funds will be used after December 31, 2027.
  • It is unclear if schools will continue to receive funding beyond fiscal year 2027 for maintaining AEDs.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Plain English: Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AMENDMENTS TO S.B.

  • Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AMENDMENTS TO S.B.
  • 1131 (Reference to Senate engrossed bill) The bill as proposed to be amended is reprinted as follows: 1 Section 1.
  • Public schools; automated external defibrillators; 2 department of education; reporting and posting 3 requirements; delayed repeal; definition 4 A.
  • On or before November 1, 2026, each school district and charter 5 school in this state shall submit a report to the department of education 6 that includes the following information: 7 1.
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Plain English: Proposed 1

  • The official amendment file could not be read automatically during the last sync, so only the official amendment metadata is shown right now.

Plain English: Fifty-seventh Legislature Appropriations, Transportation and Technology Second Regular Session S.B.

  • Fifty-seventh Legislature Appropriations, Transportation and Technology Second Regular Session S.B.
  • 1131 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, TRANSPORTATION AND TECHNOLOGY SENATE AMENDMENTS TO S.B.
  • 1131 (Reference to printed bill) The bill as proposed to be amended is reprinted as follows: 1 <<Section 1.
  • Title 15, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona Revised 2 Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-120.08, to read: 3 15-120.08.
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Plain English: Fifty-seventh Legislature Appropriations, Transportation and Technology Second Regular Session S.B.

  • Fifty-seventh Legislature Appropriations, Transportation and Technology Second Regular Session S.B.
  • 1131 PROPOSED SENATE AMENDMENTS TO S.B.
  • 1131 (Reference to printed bill) The bill as proposed to be amended is reprinted as follows: 1 <<Section 1.
  • Title 15, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona Revised 2 Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-120.08, to read: 3 15-120.08.
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Plain English: Amendment explanation prepared by Mason Holler 03/05/2026 Bill Number: S.B.

  • Amendment explanation prepared by Mason Holler 03/05/2026 Bill Number: S.B.
  • 1131 Gowan Floor Amendment Reference to: APPROPRIATIONS, TRANSPORTATION AND TECHNOLOGY Committee Amendment Amendment drafted by: Mason Holler FLOOR AMENDMENT EXPLANATION • Specifies that the Arizona Department of Education may use not more than $50,000 of the appropriated monies to compile and develop the prescribed reports relating to cardiac emergency response preparedness in public schools.
  • Fifty-seventh Legislature Gowan Second Regular Session S.B.
  • 1131 GOWAN FLOOR AMENDMENT SENATE AMENDMENTS TO S.B.
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-16 House

    House second read

  2. 2026-03-11 House

    House Rules: None

  3. 2026-03-11 House

    House Appropriations: DPA

  4. 2026-03-11 House

    House Education: W/D

  5. 2026-03-11 House

    House first read

  6. 2026-03-05 House

    Transmitted to House

  7. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Senate third read passed

  8. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Senate committee of the whole

  9. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Senate minority caucus

  10. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Senate majority caucus

  11. 2026-01-20 Senate

    Senate second read

  12. 2026-01-15 Senate

    Senate Rules: PFC

  13. 2026-01-15 Senate

    Senate Appropriations, Transportation and Technology: DPA

  14. 2026-01-15 Senate

    Senate Education: W/D

  15. 2026-01-15 Senate

    Senate first read

Official Summary Text

SB1131 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
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PASSED BY COW

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

AMENDED

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1131

cardiac
emergency response plans; school

Purpose

Requires each school district and charter school to submit a report to
the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) that contains outlined information
relating to cardiac emergency preparedness by November 1, 2026, and requires
ADE to submit and post a summary and the compiled reports as outlined by
December 1, 2026. Appropriates $1,000,000 from the state General Fund (state
GF) in FY 2027 to ADE for the outlined reports and for public schools to
purchase and maintain automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Background

Each public school that provides instruction to students in any of grades
9 through 12 and that sponsors an athletic team or sports program must provide
an automated external defibrillator (AED) at each school campus and
school-sponsored athletic event and ensure that each AED

is: 1) in an unlocked location that is clearly marked and easily accessible
both during the school day and at each school-sponsored athletic event; 2) in a
location from which the AED may be promptly retrieved and used at the school or
school-sponsored athletic event; 3) in a location that complies with guidelines
that are established by a nationally recognized organization that is focused on
emergency cardiovascular care; and 4) maintained in good working order and
tested according to the manufacturer's guidelines (
A.R.S. � 15-120.07
).

AED
means a medical device heart
monitor and defibrillator that: 1) is approved for premarket
modification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration;
2) is capable of recognizing the presence or absence of ventricular
fibrillation or rapid ventricular tachycardia and is capable of
determining, without intervention by an operator, if defibrillation
should be performed; and 3) automatically charges and
delivers an electrical impulse to a person's heart when it determines that
defibrillation should be performed (
A.R.S. � 36-2261
)
.

S.B. 1131 appropriates $1,000,000 from the state GF in FY 2027 to ADE.

Provisions

1.

Requires
each school district and charter school, by November 1, 2026, to submit a
report to ADE that includes:

a)

the
number of AEDs that the school district or charter school has at each school
campus;

b)

the
number of school employees at each school campus, including indirect employment
through a third-party contractor, who are trained in providing cardiopulmonary
resuscitation, first aid and in the use of AEDs; and

c)

a
statement indicating whether the school district or charter school has adopted
a plan that:

i.

outlines the policies and procedures for school personnel who might
respond to the incident in which an individual experiences sudden cardiac
arrest or a similar

life-threatening emergency; and

ii.

is
consistent with guidelines prescribed by a nationally recognized organization
that is focused on emergency cardiovascular care.

2.

Requires
ADE, by December 1, 2026, to:

a)

compile
the reports received from school districts and charter schools;

b)

submit
a summary and the compiled reports to the Senate President, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, the Director of the Joint Legislative Budget
Committee and the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services;

c)

submit
a copy of the summary and the compiled reports to the Secretary of State; and

d)

post the summary and the compiled reports on ADE's website.

3.

Repeals the outlined reporting requirements on school districts, charter
schools and ADE on January 1, 2028.

4.

Appropriates $1,000,000 from the state GF in FY 2027 to ADE.

5.

Determines
that ADE may use up to $50,000 of the appropriated monies for the purpose of
implementing the outlined reporting requirements.

6.

Requires
ADE to distribute the remaining appropriated monies to public schools that
offer instruction to students in any combination of kindergarten programs and
grades 1 through 12.

7.

Directs ADE to prioritize distributions of the appropriated monies to
rural public schools.

8.

Allows a public school to use the distributed monies to purchase or
maintain AEDs.

9.

Exempts the appropriation from lapsing.

10.

Defines

AED
.

11.

Becomes
effective on the general effective date.

Amendments Adopted by
Committee

1.

Removes
the requirements on public schools to adopt a cardiac emergency response plan
as prescribed.

2.

Requires
each school district and charter school to submit a report to ADE that includes
outlined information relating to cardiac emergency preparedness by November 1,
2026.

3.

Requires
ADE, by December 1, 2026, to compile the reports received and to submit a
summary and the compiled reports to outlined individuals and post the summary
and reports on ADE's website.

4.

Repeals
the outlined reporting requirements on January 1, 2028.

5.

Removes
the requirement that the appropriation be used to implement the cardiac
emergency response plan requirements.

6.

Determines
that ADE may not use more than an undetermined amount of the appropriated
monies for the purpose of implementing the outlined reporting requirements.

7.

Requires
ADE to distribute the remaining appropriated monies to public schools as
outlined and prioritize rural schools, rather than prioritize schools in which
at least 50 percent of students are eligible for the Free and Reduced-Price
Lunch Program.

8.

Narrows
the purposes for which schools may use the distributed monies to only for purchasing
and maintaining AEDs.

9.

Makes
technical changes.

Amendments
Adopted by Committee of the Whole

�

Specifies that ADE may use up to $50,000 of the appropriated
monies to compile and develop the prescribed reports relating to cardiac
emergency response preparedness in public schools.

Senate Action

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Prepared by Senate Research

March 5, 2026

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Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SB1131 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed

cardiac
emergency response plans; schools

(now:� public
schools; automated defibrillators; appropriation)

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1131

AN
ACT

appropriating monies to the department of
education.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.
Public
schools; automated external defibrillators; department of education; reporting
and posting requirements; delayed repeal; definition

A. On or before November 1,
2026, each school district and charter school in this state shall submit a
report to the department of education that includes the following information:

1. The number of automated
external defibrillators that the school district or charter school has at each
school campus.

2. The number of school
employees at each school campus, including indirect employment through a third-party
contractor, who are trained in providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and
first aid and in the use of automated external defibrillators.

3. A statement indicating
whether the school district or charter school has adopted a plan that both:

(a) Outlines the policies
and procedures for school personnel who might respond to an incident in which
an individual experiences sudden cardiac arrest or a similar life-threatening
emergency.

(b) Is consistent with
guidelines prescribed by a nationally recognized organization that is focused
on emergency cardiovascular care.

B. On or before December 1,
2026, the department of education shall compile the reports received pursuant
to subsection A of this section and shall:

1. Submit a summary and the
compiled reports to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of
representatives, the director of the joint legislative budget committee and the
director of the department of health services.

2. Submit a copy of the
summary and compiled reports to the secretary of state.

3. Post the summary and
compiled reports on the department of education's website.

C. This section is repealed
from and after December 31, 2027.

D. For the purposes of this
section, "automated external defibrillator" has the same meaning
prescribed in section 36-2261, Arizona Revised Statutes.

Sec. 2.
Appropriation;
department of education; exemption

A. The sum of $1,000,000 is
appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2026-2027 to the
department of education.

B. The department
may use not more than $50,000 for the purpose of
implementing section 1 of this act. The department shall distribute
the remaining monies appropriated pursuant to subsection A
of this section to public schools that offer instruction to students in any
combination of kindergarten programs and grades one through
twelve. The department shall prioritize distributions to public
schools
that are rural as defined in section 15-249.13,
Arizona Revised Statutes. A public school may use monies that are
distributed pursuant to this subsection
to
purchase or
maintain automated external
defibrillators as defined in section 36-2261, Arizona Revised Statutes.

C. The appropriation made
in subsection A of this section is exempt from the provisions of section
35-190, Arizona Revised Statutes, relating to lapsing of appropriations.