Introduction of A Resolution Requiring Members and Staff to Receive Medical Emergency Preparedness Training

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce a resolution to amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to require every Member, officer and employee of the House of Representatives to receive medical emergency preparedness training, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). Requiring all Members and staff to be trained in medical emergency preparedness would help ensure that care is immediately available to those in the Capitol Complex experiencing a medical emergency.

Individuals trained in medical emergency preparedness can provide vital care during medical emergencies. When Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was wounded during a 2011 mass shooting, Daniel Hernandez Jr., her 20-year-old college intern, provided Giffords with lifesaving CPR.

When responding to a medical emergency, every second counts. For example, immediate CPR and the use of an AED can make a critical difference for those experiencing cardiac arrest. CPR can double or triple the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest, and the survival rate of cardiac arrest decreases by ten percent for every minute that defibrillation is delayed.

Millions of Americans saw the value of CPR and the use of an AED during the Buffalo Bills football game on January 2, 2023, when Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during the game. Team personnel performed CPR and used an AED on Hamlin, likely saving his life.

Staff from the Office of the Attending Physician and Capitol Police officers, while trained in medical emergency intervention, are not always immediately available in a medical emergency. Widespread training in CPR and the use of AEDs can help save lives during medical emergencies in the Capitol Complex.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

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