SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5790
As of January 11, 2024
Title: An act relating to bleeding control equipment in schools.
Brief Description: Concerning bleeding control equipment in schools.
Sponsors: Senators Dhingra, Wellman, Kuderer, Nobles, Trudeau, Hunt, Fortunato, Hasegawa, Lovick, Salda?a, Stanford, Valdez, Van De Wege and Wilson, C..
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Early Learning & K-12 Education: 1/11/24.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Requires each school district to maintain and make available certain bleeding control equipment on each school campus for use in the event of a traumatic injury beginning in the 2024-25 school year.
  • Directs each school to have a certain number of employees trained to use the equipment.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EARLY LEARNING & K-12 EDUCATION
Staff: Ailey Kato (786-7434)
Background:

Current state law allows school districts to maintain certain health related items including epinephrine autoinjectors, opioid overdose reversal medication, and automated external defibrillators.

 

According to the United States Department of Homeland Security, "Stop the Bleed"  is a national awareness campaign that encourages bystanders to become trained and equipped to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives.
Summary of Bill:

Bleeding Control Equipment.  Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, school districts must maintain and make available bleeding control equipment on each school campus for use in the event of a traumatic injury.  Schools must inspect and inventory this equipment annually and after each use, and replace equipment as necessary.

 

Bleeding control equipment must include: 

  • a tourniquet endorsed by, or approved for use in battlefield trauma care by, the United States Department of Defense Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care;
  • a compression bandage;
  • a bleeding control bandage;
  • latex-free gloves;
  • permanent markers;
  • scissors; and
  • instructional documents.

 

The equipment may include other medical materials and equipment.

 

Training.  Each school must have a minimum of two employees per school who have completed training on using the bleeding control equipment.  If a school has more than 1000 students it must have one trained employee per 500 students.

 

School districts may use trainings produced by the United States Department of Homeland Security, the American College of Surgeons, or similar organizations.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 2, 2024.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

PRO:  Schools must be prepared for bleeding emergencies including school shootings, lacerations, and car accidents.  A person can bleed to death in three to four minutes if hemorrhaging is not stopped, and emergency response time can take longer than that amount of time.  These bleeding control kits are inexpensive, and the training is free and easily available.  Pressure packing and tourniquets are simple concepts for non-medical people to execute.  Students can be trained to use this equipment and save lives.  Schools can seek donated equipment and other funding to implement the requirements in this bill.  Stop the bleed efforts are part of a national campaign, and other states have passed similar legislation.
Persons Testifying: PRO: Senator Manka Dhingra, Prime Sponsor; Rian Alam; Barbara Jensen, EvergreenHealth; Quinton Hatch, Washington State Committee on Trauma; Krestin Bahr, Peninsula School District; Tiffany Crabb; Bryce Robinson, Washington Chapter of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma; Anna Leslie; Maria Paulsen; Sam Arbabi, University of Washington, Chief of Surgery.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: No one.