LB 463 — Summary of Key Provisions and Impact
One Hundred Ninth Legislature, First Session (2025)
Overview
LB 463 would require Nebraska school districts and the state School Security Director to develop a standardized cardiac emergency response plan (CERP) for schools, integrate a plan template into the School Safety and Security Reporting Act, and establish a grant program to help districts implement the plan. Grants are funded from the Medicaid Managed Care Excess Profit Fund and are capped at $1.5 million overall. The bill aims to improve response to sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) on school grounds or at school-sponsored events.
Purpose and intent
- Create a consistent, school-specific response to cardiac emergencies, aligning with core elements from the American Heart Association or other recognized cardiovascular care organizations.
- Coordinate school-based cardiac emergency response teams, equipment, training, drills, and EMS coordination.
- Provide financial assistance to districts to develop and adopt the plan and to place AEDs (automatic external defibrillators) on campus.
Key provisions
- Cardiac emergency response plan template (Sec. 2)
- Developed by the state School Security Director and integrated into district plans.
- Core elements include: formation of a school cardiac emergency response team; activation procedures during SCA; placement and maintenance of AEDs; plan distribution; training requirements for designated personnel; annual drills; EMS coordination; annual board review and evaluation.
- Defines terms: cardiac emergency plan, cardiac emergency response team, AEDs.
- Adoption and implementation (Sec. 6)
- Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, each district must develop and adopt a CERP, place AEDs on school grounds in accessible, unlocked locations retrievable within 3 minutes, with appropriate signage.
- Nonpublic schools may use the template to develop and adopt their own plan.
- Funding and grants (Sec. 1, 7, 8, 9)
- Grants for CERP costs funded from the Medicaid Managed Care Excess Profit Fund (MMCEPF), up to a total of $1.5 million.
- The Department of Education would administer the grant program; applications must include district contact, requested amount, and intended use.
- Priority for grant awards goes to districts that receive Title I funds under ESSA.
- Additional use of the MMCEPF funds: the bill redefines eligible uses to include grants for CERP costs and maintains other listed health services and safety priorities (Sec. 1).
- The Department may also run a related safety and security infrastructure grant program (Sec. 8) and align with the School Safety and Security Fund (Sec. 9).
- Administrative and statutory updates (Sec. 3–4, 10)
- Revisions to reflect the School Safety and Security Reporting System Act.
- Repealer of any conflicting or outdated provisions (Sec. 10).
- Training (Sec. 5)
- DHHS must provide training for CERP team members in collaboration with public and nonpublic schools; training should be reasonable in length and enable effective teamwork during a cardiac event.
Implementation timeline
- 2026-27: First mandatory year for district-CERP development and AED deployment, subject to funding and district readiness.
- Ongoing: annual plan drills, training, and plan review by the school board.
Who is affected
- Public and approved nonpublic school districts in Nebraska (K-12).
- School Security Director (state role) responsible for template development.
- Nebraska Department of Education (grant administration) and DHHS (training provision).
- Potentially affected students, staff, and school visitors through standardized emergency response procedures and improved access to AEDs.
Status and actions
- Introduced January 21, 2025; heard February 27, 2025; advanced to General File March 19, 2025.
- Sponsored by Senator Beau Ballard (primary) with involvement from Senator Brian Hardin in the committee.
This bill provides a structured, fund-backed approach to ensure schools are prepared to respond to cardiac emergencies with trained teams, AED availability, and regular practice, while prioritizing districts with greater student needs.
