Establishes Cardiac Emergency Response in Schools Grant Program in DOE, appropriates $600,000.

A5044

ASSEMBLY, No. 5044

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 11, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� MICHAEL VENEZIA

District 34 (Essex)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Cardiac Emergency Response in Schools
Grant Program in DOE, appropriates $600,000.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

establishing the Cardiac Emergency Response in
Schools Grant Program, supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes, and making an appropriation.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� The Department of
Education shall establish a Cardiac Emergency Response in Schools Grant
Program. The purpose of the program shall be to award grants to school
districts, charter schools, renaissance school projects, and nonpublic schools
to promote preparedness for cardiac emergencies.

���� b.� The Commissioner of
Education shall award grants, within the limit of funds appropriated or
otherwise made available for the program, to selected applicants for uses that
shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:

���� (1) purchasing and maintaining
automatic external defibrillators;

���� (2)� purchasing
cardiopulmonary resuscitation training kits;

���� (3)� implementing cardiac
emergency response plans; and

���� (4)� providing training to
staff in cardiopulmonary resuscitation or basic first aid.

���� c.� A school district, charter
school, renaissance school project, or nonpublic school that wishes to apply
for a grant shall submit an application to the commissioner in a manner and
form to be determined by the commissioner. The application shall include:

���� (1) an overview of the school
district, charter school, renaissance school project, or nonpublic school�s
current policies and practices regarding cardiac emergencies;

���� (2) a description of the
school district, charter school, renaissance school project, or nonpublic
school�s need for additional funds to promote preparedness for cardiac
emergencies; and

���� (3) any other information the
commissioner deems appropriate.

���� d.�
The
commissioner shall develop criteria for the evaluation of applications for
grant funds.� Based upon the criteria developed by the commissioner, and within
the limit of funds appropriated or otherwise made available for the purposes of
the program, the commissioner shall allocate to each selected school district,
charter school, renaissance school project, or nonpublic school a grant in an
amount determined by the commissioner. The commissioner may award multi-year
grants.
In awarding grants under the program, the commissioner shall give
priority to school districts, charter schools, renaissance school projects, and
nonpublic schools that demonstrate the greatest need.

���� 2.��� a.� Within one year
after receiving a grant under the Cardiac Emergency Response in Schools Grant
Program, a grant recipient shall submit a report to the Commissioner of
Education containing information on the grant recipient�s use of the grant
funds.

���� b.� The commissioner shall
submit a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2
of
P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than two
years after the establishment of the Cardiac Emergency Response in Schools
Grant Program. The report shall include, but need not be limited to,
information on the number of grant applicants, the number and amounts of the
grant awards, information provided by school districts pursuant to subsection
a. of this section, and any recommendations concerning the continuation or
expansion of the grant program.�

���� 3.��� There
is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of
$600,000 for the
Cardiac Emergency Response in Schools Grant Program
established pursuant to section 1 of this act.

���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the
Cardiac Emergency Response in Schools Grant Program in the Department of
Education and provides a $600,000 appropriation for the program.

���� The purpose of the program is
to award grants to school districts, charter schools, renaissance school
projects, and nonpublic schools to promote preparedness for cardiac
emergencies. The Commissioner of Education would award grants, within the limit
of available funds, to selected school entities to be used for purchasing and
maintaining automatic external defibrillators, purchasing cardiopulmonary
resuscitation training kits, implementing cardiac emergency response plans, and
providing training to staff in cardiopulmonary resuscitation or basic first
aid.

���� A school district, charter
school, renaissance school project, or nonpublic school that wishes to apply
for a grant is required to submit an application to the commissioner. The
commissioner is required to develop criteria for the evaluation of applications
and determine the amounts allocated to selected school entities. The
commissioner may award multi-year grants. In awarding grants, the commissioner
is required to give priority to schools that demonstrate the greatest need.

���� Under the bill, each grant
recipient is required to report certain information to the Commissioner of
Education and the commissioner is subsequently required to report
program-related information to the Governor and the Legislature.