Recognizing community organization of public access defibrillation programs.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 250) recognizing community organization of public access defibrillation programs.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 250.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 250 which recognizes community organization of public access defibrillation programs. The Committee on Energy and Commerce favorably reported this resolution by voice vote last week.

Coronary heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States. It is often the case that lives are either saved or lost in those first few critical moments when an individual suffers from cardiac arrest. Fortunately, medical technology and life-saving equipment are improving every day. New, portable medical devices called ``automated external defibrillators'' are often used to deliver life- saving treatment on the scene.

I can give a personal example of an individual in my district, Mr. Gary Terry, who was going through the Austin airport several years ago when he suffered a massive heart attack just as he went through security checkpoint. Luckily, the city of Austin had just installed these defibrillators at the airport, and it has on videotape the emergency technicians grabbing the defibrillator, putting it on Mr. Terry's chest and literally bringing him back to life. Mr. Terry is alive and well today because one of these devices was in the Austin international airport in Austin, Texas.

Over the past 6 years, Congress has enacted several laws to expand the use of automatic external defibrillators. H. Con. Res. 250 recognizes the growing number of community activist organizations and municipal governments leading the national effort to establish public access defibrillation programs and encourages the continued development and implementation of programs in a variety of community venues.

Madam Speaker, I would urge that all Members adopt this resolution. Also, I want to thank my good friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), for his sponsorship of this legislation. It shows his commitment to a healthier community that he would take the time to be the leader on this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns), one of our subcommittee chairmen.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to just ask that we strongly support the Sherrod Brown bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.

Madam Speaker, heart disease kills more Americans than any other condition. Nearly a quarter of a million Americans die from cardiac arrest every year. The American Heart Association, which supports this resolution, estimates that with widespread access to and use of defibrillation, 50,000 of those lives could be saved every year.

We are starting to see real success in ensuring that there are defibrillators in major public places in this country. In Summit County, in my district, a successful effort led by Dr. Terry Gordon has resulted in public defibrillators in all of the county's 59 middle schools and high schools, and in 23 other public buildings, coverage that probably is unprecedented in the United States.

As these efforts continue, we are making strides towards public access defibrillation in all major public venues, in schools and sports arenas, in large hotels, in concert halls, in high-rise buildings, in gated communities and high-security companies.

Currently, 60 percent of heart attacks take place in venues like these outside of hospitals, and the survival rate for these attacks is only around 5 percent. Public access to defibrillation programs provide defibrillators to facilities and train nonmedical personnel in how to use a defibrillator. If administered within 3 minutes of a victim collapsing from cardiac arrest, a defibrillator can increase the patient's survival rate, it is estimated, by 70 percent.

Knowing these statistics, Madam Speaker, it is clear we can do better in preventing death from cardiac arrest. This House can begin by fully funding the Community and Rural Defibrillation Program for fiscal year 2005.

My colleagues, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), along with the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind), and especially the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) have been champions of these important programs, and it is critical their funding levels be maintained.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton), our chairman, and the ranking member, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, as well as my colleague and friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) for bringing this measure up for consideration before the House today. It is an important bill that will save lives. This will matter to the lives of family members of so many Americans.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman for yielding me this time, and I rise in support and as a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 250, recognizing public access defibrillation, or PAD, programs.

My colleagues, years ago I had the opportunity and honor to work with the American Heart Association and we developed legislation addressing sudden cardiac arrest along with the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps). This cooperation led to the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act. After years of work, the provisions from the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act were combined with other health care provisions in H.R. 2498, and finally enacted in 2000 as the Public Health Improvement Act.

This law directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to simply

develop guidelines for the placement of defibrillators in public buildings. It also directs Health and Human Services to consult with and counsel other Federal agencies where such devices are to be used.

Now, a number of agencies have initiated the program, including Labor, HHS, Commerce, GSA, and IRS. These public access defibrillation programs, PADs, vary with occupancy of the building, building size and other characteristics.

Since last winter, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) and I have been working with the Architect of the Capitol and the Office of the Attending Physician to consider the implementation of a PAD program throughout the United States Capitol complex to help save lives for the people that visit our Capitol in and around this area. The hard-working staff, employees of the U.S. Congress, and the many visitors should be afforded the same protection as citizens employed by or visiting other Federal facilities implementing PAD programs.

We are finding that the biggest area of discussion from building supervisors at both the executive branch and here in the Capitol is the ongoing maintenance of the AEDs and the program once they are in place. Now, thanks to our persistence, I am pleased to share that each Chamber's Legislative Branch Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005 has included $1 million in funding for installation and annual maintenance of hundreds and hundreds of defibrillators around the Capitol complex.

This is good, good news, and I am very pleased to cosponsor the legislation of my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), and I commend him for his active participation on this.