Sponsors (8)
Official title: To amend section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require certain institutions of higher education to develop and implement a venue-specific heat-related illnesses emergency action plan, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 17, 2025 by Kweisi Mfume · Last progress July 17, 2025
The bill improves safety for student‑athletes through clearer protocols, required planning, and better coordination/funding guidance, but does so at the cost of added expenses, administrative and compliance burdens, and potential uneven protection for underfunded schools.
Students (especially student‑athletes) will face a lower risk of heat‑related injury and death because institutions must adopt clearer recognition/treatment protocols, venue‑specific plans, and faster on‑site responses.
Schools and colleges can obtain equipment and clearer federal funding eligibility (e.g., for AEDs, cold‑water immersion, cooling devices, training), improving on‑site capacity to treat heat and cardiac emergencies.
Coaches, athletic trainers, and school staff will receive better guidance, training, and practiced responses that reduce medical errors and speed appropriate treatment.
Schools (particularly small, rural, or resource‑limited institutions) will face significant costs to buy equipment, train staff, and implement venue‑specific emergency plans.
Clarifying available funds and outreach does not guarantee sufficient money, so high‑need schools may remain underprotected or be forced to reallocate limited local funds away from other priorities.
New compliance, annual reporting, and oversight expectations increase administrative burdens and potential liability for schools and staff if standards are not met.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Requires venue-specific heat-illness emergency plans, training, AED/cold-water protocols, posting, and annual reporting for schools and colleges receiving federal education funds.
Requires secondary schools and colleges that receive federal education funds and have athletic programs to create, post, distribute, train on, and annually report venue-specific emergency action plans to prevent and treat heat-related illnesses. Plans must address recognition and coordination of care, include operation of AEDs and cold-water immersion equipment, consider WBGT guidance and AED placement, and be practiced in-person with listed personnel. Also directs the Secretary of Education to notify schools and education agencies about federal funding opportunities that may be used to prevent heat-related illness, provide training, or buy treatment equipment. Covered institutions must implement plans within one year and begin annual compliance reporting thereafter.