American Heart Association holds Alabama Lobbying Day

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – This year, the American Heart Association has their eye on three bills.

At their Alabama Lobbing Day, the organization educated their advocates on what their focus is and how to get lawmakers on board.

“This year, we are advocating to add sporting events and sporting locations to protect children from cardiac arrest,” said advocate Heather Amberson, speaking about automated external defibrillators, or AEDs.

Amberson’s son died from a sudden cardiac arrest while playing an outdoor sport.

She hopes her story will help advocates encourage lawmakers to vote ‘yes’ to House Bill 416, a bill to add more AEDs to schools and sporting grounds in an effort to save more people from cardiac arrest.

The association is also pushing for free breakfasts for all students in Alabama, because a full stomach comes with the full capability for succeeding in the classroom.

In addition to the bills they support, they’re also lobbying against one bill aimed at stopping kids from vaping, House Bill 8.

“HB 8, we are opposing because we agree that students should not be penalized for using vapes when the people selling the vapes won’t be penalized as much,” said Alabama Advocacy Chair for the American Heart Association Heidi Darbo.

Kids found with a vape could be fined up to $1,000.

And while the bill says the money will go towards implementing vaping prevention and education in schools, it has yet to determine a program to implement.

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