Medicaid

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Darrell Jackson

Requires 24/7 on-site AED providers and at least one AED in each assisted living facility; trained staff may perform CPR/AED unless DNR, with protections against retaliation.

Referred to Committee on Medical Affairs

Summary — S.486 (2025): Assisted living facilities — AED access and staff CPR/AED authorization

Note on discrepancies: the header information you provided initially (title about jumper cables / state police) does not match the bill text. The bill text filed as Senate No. 486 (Mark C. Montigny) amends Chapter 19D and concerns assisted living facilities, automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and staff administration of CPR/AED. This summary describes the substance of that bill text.

Key provisions

Inserts a new Section 20 into Chapter 19D:

Each assisted living residence must provide 24-hour coverage by at least one on-site “AED provider” (as defined by section 12V½ of chapter 112).
Each facility must have at least one automated external defibrillator readily available on-site.
The relevant state department shall not issue certification to any assisted living residence that violates this section.

Staff administration of emergency care:

A staff person trained in CPR or AED use (per the statutory definition) may administer such emergency assistance to a resident unless the resident has a documented or clearly visible Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order.
Facilities may require documentation of proper training before allowing staff to render emergency care.
Facilities may prohibit untrained staff from providing such emergency assistance.
Facilities are prohibited from retaliating against trained staff who render emergency assistance (e.g., suspension, demotion, loss of employment).

Who is affected

Assisted living residences operating under Chapter 19D (facility operators and management).

Residents of assisted living facilities (increased likelihood of timely AED/CPR response).

Frontline staff (requirement/expectation for trained staff; protections against retaliation).

The certifying state department (responsible for enforcing certification standards).

Timeline & procedural status (as provided)

Filed: 1/15/2025 (Senate docket).

Introduced / read twice: 02/06/2025; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Referred to Elder Affairs: 02/27/2025.

Hearing scheduled: 05/12/2025 (notification filed 04/29/2025).

Later referred to committee on Aging and Independence: 06/27/2025.

Current status listed: REFERRED TO FINANCE. Note: the provided legislative action list includes some duplicate and possibly inconsistent entries.

Additional notes and likely impacts

Cost implications: facilities may incur one-time costs to acquire AED(s) and ongoing costs to train and maintain on-site qualified personnel and replace/maintain equipment.

Compliance/enforcement: certification denial is the stated enforcement mechanism for noncompliant facilities.

Legal implications: the bill does not itself create new civil immunity or liability rules for staff who administer aid; it does protect staff against employer retaliation for rendering emergency assistance.

Cross-references: training and provider definitions rely on section 12V½ of chapter 112 (Massachusetts law governing AED providers/training).

If you want, I can: (a) draft a one-page brief for facility administrators on compliance steps, or (b) extract potential fiscal impacts and estimated cost ranges for smaller vs. larger assisted living residences.

Bill