119-hr4517

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4517 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 4517

 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.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 July 17, 2025

Mr. Mfume (for himself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Elfreth, and Mr. David Scott of 
 Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 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.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Jordan McNair Student Athlete Heat 
Fatality Prevention Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) Heat-related illnesses are a serious medical condition 
 that result from the body's inability to cool itself down in 
 extremely hot environments. Heat-related illnesses include heat 
 stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat syncope, heat rash, 
 and muscle breakdown. When experiencing heat illness, patients 
 may exhibit an array of symptoms including but not limited to 
 confusion, slurred speech, unconsciousness, vomiting, seizures, 
 fatigue, elevated body temperature, fainting, dizziness, or 
 muscle pain.

    (2) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 
 over 700 heat-related deaths in the United States from 2004 to 
 2018. Heat is the leading climate-related cause of deaths, and 
 rising temperatures pose a serious risk to student athletes 
 participating in outdoor sports.

    (3) Jordan McNair, a highly accomplished high school 
 football player from Maryland, received scholarship offers from 
 many competitive university football programs. He chose to 
 continue his athletic and academic career at the University of 
 Maryland.

    (4) On May 29, 2018, Jordan McNair collapsed during a 
 workout on the University of Maryland's football field in the 
 81 degrees Fahrenheit heat. McNair was suffering from 
 exertional heatstroke and was unable to remain in an upright 
 position without assistance from his teammates, medical staff, 
 or coaching staff.

    (5) Despite being a student athlete at a well-funded 
 division I university, Jordan McNair received inadequate heat-
 related illness treatment once he was escorted off the field 
 and into the athletic training room. Because medical staff were 
 unable to reverse McNair's core body temperature, the illness 
 escalated to a seizure and respiratory distress.

    (6) Most medical professionals advise patients to receive 
 treatment within 30 minutes of initial heat illness symptoms. 
 Over 90 minutes passed from the time McNair displayed initial 
 symptoms of exertional heatstroke to the time he finally 
 received adequate care from the nearest hospital.

    (7) By the time Jordan McNair arrived at the hospital, his 
 core body temperature had reached a life-threatening 
 temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

    (8) On June 13, 2018, two weeks after collapsing on the 
 football field at practice, Jordan McNair died from symptoms of 
 exertional heatstroke.

    (9) Two extensive external investigations of the University 
 of Maryland's football program concluded that the program's 
 medical staff failed to promptly intervene, diagnose, and treat 
 Jordan McNair's exertional heatstroke symptoms.

    (10) According to an independent medical report, University 
 staff failed to assess Jordan McNair's vitals, recognize and 
 monitor heat-related illness symptoms, provide adequate cooling 
 devices and respiratory aids, and generate an emergency plan to 
 coordinate with emergency responders.

    (11) The University of Maryland has taken significant steps 
 to prevent and treat heat-related injuries among their student 
 athletes, making cold water immersion tubs available at every 
 practice and game, installing and maintaining readily 
 accessible automatic defibrillators at every venue, increasing 
 the training and reporting structure of athletic trainers, 
 among other reforms in line with the priorities of this Act.

    (12) The McNair family is devoted to honoring Jordan's 
 legacy and founded the Jordan McNair Foundation, which provides 
 an educational tool to help coaches, student athletes, and 
 parents identify symptoms of heatstroke and heat-related 
 illnesses.

    (13) Heat-related illnesses and fatalities are preventable 
 if caught early. Medical staff, coaches, and athletes must be 
 knowledgeable of the warning signs for heat-related illness in 
 order to protect student athletes from injury, and even death.

SEC. 3. VENUE-SPECIFIC HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN 
 REQUIREMENT FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

 

Section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092) is 
amended by inserting at the end the following new subsection:
 ``

    (n) Venue-Specific Heat-Related Illnesses Emergency Action 
Plan.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--Each institution of higher education 
 that is participating in any program under this title and that 
 is a member of an athletic association or athletic conference 
 shall--
 ``
        (A) not later than 1 year after the date of 
 enactment of this subsection and in consultation with 
 local emergency responders, develop and implement a 
 venue-specific heat-related illnesses emergency action 
 plan, which shall include a plan for the operation and 
 use of automatic external defibrillators and cold water 
 immersion equipment; and
 ``
        (B) not later than 1 year after the date that 
 such emergency action plan is first implemented, and on 
 an annual basis thereafter, submit to the Secretary and 
 authorizing committees a report that demonstrates 
 compliance with the requirements of this subsection 
 with respect to the preceding year.
 ``

    (2) Requirements.--An emergency action plan developed and 
 implemented under paragraph

    (1) , with respect to an institution 
 of higher education, shall--
 ``
        (A) include a symptom identification structure 
 and a coordination of care plan for student athletes 
 exhibiting signs of heat-related illness, and be 
 visibly posted in each--
 ``
            (i) locker room;
 ``
            (ii) athletic training facility;
 ``
            (iii) weight room; and
 ``
            (iv) outdoor sports complex and stadium;
 ``
        (B) be made available on the athletic program 
 website or public website of the institution of higher 
 education at the beginning of each academic year;
 ``
            (C) be distributed to local emergency responders; 
 and
 ``
            (D) before the start of practical training for 
 each academic year, be distributed to, and practiced 
 in-person by all of the following individuals at the 
 institution of higher education:
 ``
            (i) Student athletes.
 ``
            (ii) Certified athletic trainers.
 ``
            (iii) Team physicians.
 ``
            (iv) Athletic training students.
 ``
            (v) Athletic administrators.
 ``
            (vi) Coaches.
 ``
            (vii) Institutional safety personnel.
 ``
            (viii) Legal counsel.
 ``

    (3) Recommendations.--In developing an emergency action 
 plan under paragraph

    (1) , an institution of higher education 
 shall consider--
 ``
        (A) including guidelines by the Wet-Bulb Globe 
 Temperature index to assess environmental condition and 
 heat stress prevention for student athletes;
 ``
        (B) having a readily accessible and properly 
 maintained automatic external defibrillator within 3 
 minutes of each sporting venue; and
 ``
            (C) including the locations of each automatic 
 external defibrillator in such plan.
 ``

    (4) Authorized adjustments.--In the case of a facility 
 described in paragraph

    (2)
        (A) that is undergoing a major 
 physical alteration that would affect the implementation of a 
 requirement of paragraph

    (2) , such requirement may be adjusted 
 with respect to such facility.''.

SEC. 4. VENUE-SPECIFIC HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN 
 REQUIREMENT FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

 Subpart 2 of part F of title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7901 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:

``

SEC. 8549D. VENUE-SPECIFIC HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES EMERGENCY ACTION 
 PLAN REQUIREMENT FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

 ``

    (a) In General.--As a condition of receipt of funds under this 
Act, each secondary school that has a student athletics program shall--
 ``

    (1) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
 this subsection and in consultation with local emergency 
 responders, develop and implement a venue-specific heat-related 
 illnesses emergency action plan, which shall include a plan for 
 the operation and use of automatic external defibrillators and 
 cold water immersion equipment; and
 ``

    (2) not later than 1 year after the date that such 
 emergency action plan is first implemented, and on an annual 
 basis thereafter, submit to the Secretary and authorizing 
 committees a report that demonstrates compliance with the 
 requirements of this subsection with respect to the preceding 
 year.
 ``

    (b) Requirements.--An emergency action plan developed and 
implemented under subsection

    (a) , with respect to a secondary school, 
shall--
 ``

    (1) include a symptom identification structure and a 
 coordination of care plan for student athletes exhibiting signs 
 of heat-related illness, and be visibly posted in each--
 ``
        (A) locker room;
 ``
        (B) athletic training facility;
 ``
            (C) weight room; and
 ``
            (D) outdoor sports complex and stadium;
 ``

    (2) be made available on the athletic program website or 
 public website of the secondary school at the beginning of each 
 academic year;
 ``

    (3) be distributed to local emergency responders; and
 ``

    (4) before the start of practical training for each 
 academic year, be distributed to, and practiced in-person by 
 all of the following individuals at the secondary school:
 ``
        (A) Student athletes.
 ``
        (B) Certified athletic trainers.
 ``
            (C) Team physicians.
 ``
            (D) Athletic training students.
 ``
        (E) Athletic administrators.
 ``
        (F) Coaches.
 ``
        (G) Institutional safety personnel.
 ``
        (H) Legal counsel.
 ``
            (I) Any other individuals determined to be 
 relevant by the secondary school.
 ``
            (c) Recommendations.--In developing an emergency action plan 
under subsection

    (a) , a secondary school shall consider--
 ``

    (1) including guidelines by the Wet-Bulb Globe 
 Temperature index to assess environmental condition and heat 
 stress prevention for student athletes;
 ``

    (2) having a readily accessible and properly maintained 
 automatic external defibrillator within 3 minutes of each 
 sporting venue; and
 ``

    (3) including the locations of each automatic external 
 defibrillator in such plan.
 ``
            (d) Authorized Adjustments.--In the case of a facility described 
in subsection

    (b)

    (1) that is undergoing a major physical alteration 
that would affect the implementation of a requirement of subsection

    (b) , such requirement may be adjusted with respect to such facility.''.

SEC. 5. PROMOTION OF FEDERAL GRANTS RELATED TO HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES 
 PREVENTION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Education shall inform secondary 
schools, local educational agencies, State educational agencies, and 
institutions of higher education about Federal funds available--

    (1) to assist with preventing students and faculty from 
 suffering from heat-related illnesses;

    (2) to develop heat-related illness prevention training; 
 and

    (3) to acquire equipment for treating heat-related 
 illnesses for students and faculty.

    (b) ESEA Terms.--In this section, the terms ``institution of higher 
education'', ``local educational agency'', ``secondary school'', and 
``State educational agency'' have the meanings given those terms in 

section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801).
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