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Bill

SD 582

An Act to provide automated external defibrillators in all public safety vehicles

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Ryan Fattman and 2 co-sponsors

Creates a dedicated AED Trust Fund with a $0.50 vehicle rental surcharge to equip public safety vehicles across municipalities, colleges, and eligible nonprofits.

House concurred
0
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Bill Summary · SD 582

Summary: Senate Bill No. 582 (SD 582) — An Act to provide automated external defibrillators in all public safety vehicles

  • Bill number and status: Senate Docket No. 582; House concurred (status indicates House approved the companion action).
  • Introduced: February 27, 2025
  • Jurisdiction: Massachusetts General Court (Public Safety and Homeland Security)

Purpose and intent

The bill would create a dedicated funding mechanism to equip public safety and first responder vehicles with automated external defibrillators (AEDs). By establishing a new trust fund and an accompanying surcharge, the measure aims to ensure durable, ongoing access to AEDs for emergency responders across municipalities, public colleges and universities, and eligible charitable organizations.

Key provisions

1) Automatic External Defibrillator Trust Fund (new funding mechanism)

  • ** crearion:** Inserts a new Section 2BBBBBB into Chapter 29.
  • Administration: Managed by the Secretary of Public Safety and Security.
  • Eligible recipients for grants: Municipalities, public colleges and universities, and charitable organizations (as defined for charitable purposes in General Laws).
  • Use of funds: Purchase of AEDs for public safety and first responder vehicles.

2) Funding sources and management

  • Fund sources:
    • Appropriations or other monies designated to the fund by the General Court
    • Gifts, grants, private contributions, or investment income
    • Revenues up to $1,000,000 per calendar year
  • Fund stewardship: Money in the fund at the end of a fiscal year remains available for subsequent years (no automatic revert to the General Fund).
  • Reporting: Annual activity report due by December 31 to the clerks of the Senate and House and the Senate and House Committees on Ways and Means.

3) Public Safety Vehicle Equipment Surcharge

  • Amount: $0.50 surcharge on each vehicular rental transaction in the Commonwealth.
  • Allocation rules: Up to $1,000,000 collected per calendar year goes to the AED Trust Fund; any amount above $1,000,000 in a year goes to the General Fund.
  • Exemptions: Not applied to transportation network companies (TNCs) or to rental periods under 24 hours charged on an hourly basis.

4) Effective date

  • Commencement: January 1, 2026.

Affected parties

  • Municipalities and their public safety fleets (police, fire, EMS, etc.)
  • Public colleges and universities (on-campus public safety vehicles)
  • Eligible charitable organizations funding AED purchases
  • Vehicle renters (through the surcharge mechanism)

Implementation and oversight

  • Administration: By the Secretary of Public Safety and Security.
  • Oversight: Annual reporting to legislative clerks and Ways and Means committees.
  • Legal placement: New Section 2BBBBBB within Chapter 29 (as a separate, dedicated trust fund).

Fiscal and policy considerations

  • The AED fund is capped in annual surcharge receipts at $1,000,000; excess receipts go to the General Fund, creating a built-in fallback mechanism.
  • The model combines public funding, private contributions, and institutional investments to support AED deployment across public safety vehicles.
  • The law sets a clear implementation timeline with a 2026 effective date, aligning with planned equip-by dates for AED deployment.

If you’d like, I can provide a side-by-side comparison with the prior similar measure (Senate No. 1517 of 2023-2024) or a quick one-page briefing for policymakers.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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