Bill supported by Damar Hamlin that will help put AEDs in schools unanimously passes Senate

A bill inspired by McKees Rocks native Damar Hamlin is on the verge of becoming law.

The Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Research and Training in Schools Act, also known as the HEARTS Act, will help put AEDs in schools and fund CPR training.

Hamlin, who collapsed from a cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game in 2023, worked on the bipartisan bill with New York Sen. Chuck Schumer. It unanimously passed in the Senate on Dec. 10 and now goes to President Biden, who is expected to sign it into law any day.

Channel 11 recently caught up with Hamlin and asked how much progress on this bill means to him.

“Just to see our work continue, to just to see us continue to put the work in and then get the results of, you know, hard work. Like, that’s the message that I’m trying to preach to the kids,” he said.

The HEARTS Act focuses on three things: providing grants so schools can purchase AEDs, providing CPR training and helping schools develop response plans to use in a cardiac emergency.

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