Gov. Wolf Signs Bill Creating CPR Curriculum For Pa. Schools

HARRISBURG (KDKA) -- Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law a bill that would require high school students to learn CPR prior to graduation.

Act 7, formerly Senate Bill 115, requires the Pennsylvania Department of Education to create curriculum teaching CPR.

"I'm proud to sign into law this important life-saving measure," Gov. Wolf Said. "Each additional set of hands trained to do CPR increases the likelihood that a cardiac arrest will be reversed. Teaching our young Pennsylvanians to save a life not only promotes the health of all of Pennsylvania, it builds a sense of community neighborliness."

The law requires the Department of Education to provide a curriculum to schools that would teach "hands-only" CPR, a no-breath, compression-only method that the American Heart Association recommends for sudden cardiac arrest.

The law also states that the lessons must include the use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs).

"This new law will help provide generations of Pennsylvanians with an important life-saving skill," said Sen. Tom Killion, the sponsor of the bill. "Knowing how to properly use the hands-only CPR technique and AED equipment is critical when an individual suffers a cardiac arrest. I deeply appreciate Gov. Wolf signing this legislation. It will save many lives."