IL bill to require school coaches to receive CPR, first aid and AED training passes Senate committee unanimously

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A bill to require training for coaches on how to give CPR, first aid and use AED's passed the Illinois Senate education committee unanimously Tuesday.

Its an expansion on a bipartisan law last year that required schools to have a cardiac emergency response plan. State Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Waukegan) said in committee this expansion will protect students and teachers.

Alongside the Senator was an advocate for the plan Heather Baker, who's life was saved by CPR treatment.

"On February 1 2018, I dropped dead on the floor at school as a healthy 28 year old curriculum director with no warning signs," Baker said. "I'm alive today because my co-worker had been CPR trained one month prior and they knew how to enact a cardiac emergency response."

Baker went on to say this plan is necessary to give students and teachers life saving treatment before an ambulance has arrived.

The bill passed committee on a 13-0 vote. This proposal will now head to the Senate floor, where lawmakers could talk about it in the coming weeks.