SB 945 California Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

School curriculum: physical education framework: cardiopulmonary resuscitation: automated external defibrillators.

Summary

Existing law requires the governing board of a school district or the governing body of a charter school that requires a course in health education for graduation from high school to include instruction in performing compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) , as provided. Existing law also encourages those entities to provide to pupils general information on the use and importance of an automated external defibrillators (AED) . Existing law further requires the State Department of Education to provide guidance on how to implement these provisions, including, but not limited to, who may provide instruction. Existing law establishes the Instructional Quality Commission and requires the commission to, among other things, recommend curriculum frameworks to the State Board of Education. This bill would require the commission, when the physical education framework is next revised after January 1, 2027, to consider including content on the importance, performance, and use of CPR and AEDs in that framework.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Aug 2026

Senate Passage

May 2026

Assembly Passage

Aug 2026

Governor

Introduced Feb 2, 2026 Last action Aug 24, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

08/20/26 - Enrolled → SB945 · 1 edit

MINOR

No substantive policy changes occurred between these two versions. The diff reflects a transition from the formal enrolled bill document (with signature blocks, page numbers, and official formatting) to the California Legislature website's rendering of the same bill text. The legislative content - including all findings in Section 1 and the operative provision in Section 2 adding Education Code Section 33549 - is identical in both versions.

TECHNICAL

The document changed from a formal enrolled bill format (with Secretary of the Senate, Chief Clerk of the Assembly, and Governor signature lines) to a web page layout with navigation menus, search tools, and bill status metadata. No changes to the actual statutory language.

02/02/26 - Introduced → 04/06/26 - Amended Senate · 5 edits · Apr 6, 2026

MODERATE

The amended version of SB 945 significantly expands the bill's scope by adding a new provision requiring the Instructional Quality Commission to consider including CPR and AED content in the physical education curriculum framework, in addition to the existing requirement that schools provide CPR/AED instruction. The amendment also adds extensive legislative findings documenting disparities in cardiac arrest survival rates and inequitable access to current CPR training, and removes the condition that linked the instruction requirement to a school's decision to require a health education course for graduation.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a single amendment to Section 51225.6 (CPR/AED instruction requirement) to also include a new Section 33549 directing the Instructional Quality Commission to consider CPR/AED content in the physical education framework. The core instruction requirement was also broadened by removing the health education course condition, making it apply universally to all schools maintaining grades 9-12.

SCOPE

New Section 33549 added to the Education Code requiring the Instructional Quality Commission to consider including content on the importance, performance, and use of compression-only CPR and AEDs in the physical education framework when it is next revised after January 1, 2027.

Added extensive legislative findings (subsections a through s) citing CARES data showing California's 8.7 percent cardiac arrest survival rate, an estimated 40 percent (758,000) of public high school pupils excluded from CPR training under current law, and disparities affecting underresourced communities and communities of color.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the conditional language 'If the governing board requires a course in health education for graduation' from Section 51225.6. The requirement now applies to any school district or charter school maintaining grades 9 through 12, regardless of whether they require a health education course.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the former subsection (c) that stated governing boards were 'encouraged to provide general information on the use and importance of an AED' and that 'the physical presence of an AED in the classroom is not required.'

TECHNICAL

Added coauthors: Senators Caballero, Padilla, and Richardson; Assembly Members Alanis, Davies, Garcia, Sharp-Collins, and Wallis.

Floor votes · Senate May 22, 2026 · Assembly Aug 19, 2026

How they voted

33–0

Passed · 7 other

Total votes 40

May 22, 2026

D Democratic30

25 Yea 5

83% Yea

R Republican10

8 Yea 2

80% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Aug 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

upper

Aug 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate.

lower

Aug 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 13).

lower

Jun 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (June 17). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Jun 1, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on ED.

lower

May 22, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 33. Noes 0. Page 4417.) Ordered to the Assembly.

upper

May 14, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 4258.) (May 14).

upper

Apr 15, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 3898.) (April 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Apr 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED.

upper

Feb 11, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on ED.

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Introduced

Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

upper

1 primary · 8 co-sponsors