HEARTS Act supported by Damar Hamlin becomes law

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A life-saving bill supported by Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been signed into law.

The Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, and Research, and AED Training in Schools ACT of 2024 was signed by President Joe Biden on Monday after the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill on Dec. 10.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) worked with Hamlin to craft the HEARTS Act as part of a federal effort to put more automated external defibrillators in schools and make CPR training more accessible. Schumer and Hamlin visited Cheektowaga Central High School this month to advocate for the bill.

Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed during a Bills game in January 2023.

“I was blessed to be surrounded by medical professionals who knew how to perform CPR and had an AED,” Hamlin said. “I’m here today because they saved my life.”

The bipartisan legislation will provide grants to elementary and secondary schools to support CPR and AED training, the purchase of AEDs, and the development of cardiac emergency response plans. These are to save more people who suffer from cardiac arrest.