HARRISBURG – The Senate of Pennsylvania unanimously approved Senate Bill 836, also known as Peyton’s Law, which will help student athletes and their parents take steps to prevent sudden cardiac arrest, according to Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York).
The legislation, sponsored by Senator Mike Regan (R-York/Cumberland), will require information to be provided to student athletes and their parents or guardians regarding electrocardiogram testing, and require notification of the option to request an electrocardiogram in addition to the standard physical examination.
Current law only requires an informational sheet on warning signs and symptoms on sudden cardiac arrest to be sent home with student athletes for parents or guardians to sign and return in order to participate in an athletic activity.
“We held a heart screening with a little more than 200 students in 2017. Of those students, we found 12 with warning signs and 5 who had potentially life-threatening conditions,” Phillips-Hill said as she encouraged the Senate to support the bill. “Those five young men and women faced potentially deadly consequences without this critical screening. This measure will help identify even more student athletes who may unknowingly have cardiac issues, and save more lives in the future.”
The legislation heads to the House of Representatives for its consideration.
You can listen to Senator Phillips-Hill’s comments on the legislation here.