Look What You Helped Do; Thank Legislators for Helping Save Lives

The 2012 North Carolina General Assembly was lively and productive, yielding some notable successes and also leaving us with more work to be done. We are excited to share with you the great news of our success with HB 837: Completion of CPR by Students Required which is currently awaiting the Governor's signature. Thanks to the hard work of you and your fellow advocates, NC took a major step toward ensuring we have a generation trained to be a lifesaver. Thank you for your advocacy!

Please take a moment to thank your lawmakers for their support of saving lives - send your customizable letter now.

Here is a brief recap of some of the exciting issues You're the Cure advocates helped us work on:

HB 837: COMPLETION OF CPR BY STUDENTS REQUIRED

(http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H837v4.pdf) Makes successful completion of instruction in CPR available to all students, requires maintenance of documentation of CPR instruction, and a plan to phase in completion of CPR instruction as a high school graduation requirement by 2015; provides that schools shall use for this purpose an instructional program developed by the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, or other nationally recognized program that is based on the most current evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines for CPR. [Status: Ratified, Awaiting Governor's Signature]

HB 914: AED PLACEMENT IN STATE BUILDINGS (http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H914v3.pdf)

Creates a "Chain of Survival Task Force" to develop funding opportunities from the public/private sectors for the purchase of AEDs and to oversee the training of state employees in emergency medical response; places AEDs in all buildings and facilities that house state services and institutions, and provides training for state employees in those facilities. [Status: Ratified, Awaiting Governor's Signature]
CONTINUATION OF TOBACCO USE PREVENTION AND CESSATION PROGRAM FUNDING

Included in the 2012 state budget is funding for tobacco use prevention and cessation programs. The 2011 appropriations act funded these programs at $17.3 million using funds from the Master Settlement Agreement for one year only. Advocates worked to try and make this funding recurring at the $17.3 million level. Only $2.7 million in non-recurring funding for tobacco cessation and prevention programs was secured in the final 2012 state budget. This amounts to an 85% cut in the funding for these programs. We will look for strategies to rectify this unfortunate outcome next session and will need your help to prioritize it for our lawmakers.
HB 503: CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS

(http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H503v4.pdf) Legislation passed the House in the 2011 legislative session that would have required the NC State Board of Education to adopt nutrition standards for foods sold outside of the school nutrition program that are consistent with national guidelines of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation or National Academy of Science Institute of Medicine. The Senate stripped the language from the bill and retitled the bill Parent Choice/Clarify Pre-K. The House did not concur with the Senate. [Status: Legislation Failed]
We could not have the level of success we've had without your help. Thank you for supporting policy efforts to help reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases and stroke!

Send your customizable letter now to thank legislators for CPR in Schools!