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AB 362

Relating to: requiring cardiac emergency response plans for cardiac emergencies that occur on school property or at school-sponsored athletic events. (FE)

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Elijah Behnke and 18 co-sponsors

Requires schools to adopt a cardiac emergency response plan with annual drills, staff training, and AED information, starting in 2027–28 (with earlier versions shifting).

Failed to concur in pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
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Bill Summary · AB 362

Summary — AB 362 (Cardiac Emergency Response Plans for Schools)

Status: Referred to Rules (committee actions and amendments pending)
Jurisdiction: Wisconsin (bill as filed and amended in 2025)

Purpose

AB 362 requires school districts and charter school operators to adopt a cardiac emergency response plan (CERP) for each school they operate. The bill’s intent is to improve responses to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) on school grounds and at school‑sponsored athletic events through planning, training, drills, and (in earlier versions) placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Core requirements (original bill)

  • Every school must have a CERP in place beginning in the 2026–27 school year.
  • CERPs must include specified core elements (see below), ongoing training for identified staff in first aid, CPR, and AED use, and AED placement and maintenance information.
  • For school districts/charter operators that operate high school grades, CERPs must address SCA occurring during school‑sponsored athletic practice or competition. Requirements included clearly marked, accessible (unlocked) AEDs at each athletic venue during practices and competitions, and that each athletic coach obtain and maintain CPR/AED certification.
  • The Wisconsin DOJ Office of School Safety would administer a grant program to fund AED purchases and CPR training/supplies. Maximum grant amounts proposed: $8,000 per high school, $4,000 per grades 6–8 school, and $2,000 per K–5 school.

Core elements (as defined in substitute amendment)

(a) a cardiac emergency response team;
(b) a plan to activate the team in event of cardiac arrest;
(c) distribution of the CERP on school grounds;
(d) AED placement and routine maintenance information;
(e) incorporation of emergency medical services;
(f) annual drills practicing the CERP;
(g) annual review and evaluation of the CERP;
(h) post‑activation review after any CERP activation.

Significant amendments and differences

  • Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 (adopted in committee) delays the CERP start to the 2027–28 school year and removes any mandatory AED placement requirement (it also omits the DOJ grant program). It retains the core elements and training requirements.
  • Assembly Amendment 1 to the Substitute clarifies that if a high‑school operator places an AED at an athletic venue, it must be clearly marked and unlocked during practice/competition. It also directs that coach training requirements be developed in consultation with a licensed athletic trainer or consider National Athletic Trainers’ Association recommendations. The amendment confirms the bill does not require schools to purchase AEDs and does not restrict health professionals from acting within their licensed scope.

Who is affected

  • Public school districts and charter school operators (all schools under their control).
  • Athletic coaches at schools that operate high school grades (training/certification requirements).
  • School staff designated in CERPs and local EMS partners.
  • Potentially state DOJ Office of School Safety if grant provisions from earlier bill text are retained.

Implementation & fiscal considerations

  • Original version anticipated costs for AEDs, training, drills, and staff time; grant funding was proposed (with modest per‑school caps).
  • Substitute shifts effective date to 2027–28 and reduces immediate equipment cost mandates by removing mandatory AED placement; local districts may still choose to procure AEDs voluntarily.
  • Fiscal impact depends on final text (grants retained or removed) and implementation choices by districts; committees reported fiscal estimates during amendment process.

Procedural status (selected)

  • Substitute and subsequent amendment were adopted in committee (committee votes recorded Nov 6–12, 2025).
  • As of latest committee action, bill referred to Rules for further action.

If you want, I can: (1) produce a side‑by‑side comparison table of the original, substitute, and final amendment language; or (2) draft a plain‑language checklist schools could use to build a compliant CERP. Which would be more useful?

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

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