SB399: SB399 "Mason Sells AED Coordination Act"; enact

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are the devices used to shock a heart back into rhythm during cardiac arrest. Current Georgia law encourages AED training but does not require owners to tell emergency dispatchers where their devices are located. This bill rewrites part of Georgia's AED law (O.C.G.A. § 31-11-53.1) to require every person or agency that owns and maintains an AED to notify the local emergency dispatch center, called a public safety answering point, of its existence and location before putting it into use. It also adds new definitions, including 'agency' and 'person,' to clarify who this covers, from state agencies and the university system to private colleges and businesses. The bill separately amends the law governing 911 dispatcher training (O.C.G.A. § 35-8-23) to require that, starting January 1, 2028, all communications officers complete training in telephone-guided CPR and in giving callers instructions for using an AED, unless they already hold emergency medical dispatch certification. The Act takes its name from the short title in Section 1 and repeals any conflicting laws.

• Requires all persons and agencies that own or maintain an AED to notify the local 911 dispatch center of the device's existence and location before it is used.
• Adds new legal definitions for 'agency' and 'person' to Georgia's AED law, clarifying that state entities, the University System of Georgia, and private colleges and businesses are covered.
• Requires 911 communications officers, starting January 1, 2028, to complete training in telephone CPR and in guiding callers through AED use.
• Exempts dispatchers who already hold emergency medical dispatch certification from the new 2028 training requirement.
• Keeps the existing legal protection that shields good-faith first responders who use an AED from civil liability, while renumbering that provision.
• Gives the short title 'Mason Sells AED Coordination Act' to the law created by this bill.

Businesses, schools, colleges, state agencies, and other organizations that own AEDs; 911 dispatch centers and the communications officers who work there; emergency medical technicians and first responders who use AEDs; and the Department of Public Health, which regulates AED programs.

Telling dispatchers exactly where an AED is located could help 911 call takers guide bystanders to the nearest device faster during a cardiac emergency, and training dispatchers in telephone CPR and AED instructions could improve how callers are coached through a crisis before help arrives.

• Section 1 names the law the 'Mason Sells AED Coordination Act.'
• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 31-11-53.1 to add definitions for 'agency,' 'person,' and 'public safety answering point,' and requires AED owners to notify local dispatch centers of a device's location before use.
• Section 2 also carves out communications officers from the general instructor-training requirement, instead pointing them to the specific training required under O.C.G.A. § 35-8-23.
• Section 3 amends O.C.G.A. § 35-8-23 to require, starting January 1, 2028, that all communications officers complete telephone CPR and AED-facilitation training, unless already certified in emergency medical dispatch.
• Section 3 specifies the training must follow current national guidelines covering cardiac arrest recognition, compression-only CPR, and continuing education.
• Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-11Act 507
3. 2026-05-11Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2026-03-18House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2026-03-18House Third Readers (House)
7. 2026-03-10House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2026-03-04House Second Readers (House)

• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)Primary sponsor
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Jason T. Dickerson (R, SD-021)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)
• Josh Bonner (R, HD-073)

1. PassedSenate voteFebruary 26, 2026

   49 yea, 0 nay (4 not voting, 2 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #591

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 18, 2026

   165 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 10 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #717

• emergency medical services
• 911 dispatch training
• defibrillators
• cardiac arrest response
• public safety