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Appropriations Committee Votes To Save Lives

For immediate release:

(SACRAMENTO) – The Assembly Appropriations Committee advanced several key pieces of legislation by Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona) today: AB 1719, aims to teach CPR to high school students; and AB 1578, seeks funding to restore Mobile Field Hospitals, needed during major disasters.

Assembly Bill 1719 is a common-sense piece of legislation aligning California with thirty-two other states already creating a generation of lifesavers. The bill is co-sponsored by the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross.

“Teaching CPR is simple yet the payoff is tremendous,” said Rodriguez. “We have the power to dramatically impact the chain of survival. The rest of the country is jumping on the CPR movement. It’s time to bring CPR education to our schools!”

Also gaining the approval of the Appropriations committee is Assembly Bill 1578, which  restores funding to California’s Mobile Field Hospitals. When a major disaster happens, the Mobile Field Hospitals can be deployed to any area of the state to assist with treating the wounded, however budget cuts have left them sitting inoperable in storage.

“Restoring these valuable resources will improve public safety and save lives,” said Rodriguez. “I have been working closely with the Administration to secure a sustainable source of funding so these hospitals can be ready to deploy on a moment’s notice.”

Both bills will come before the full State Assembly for a vote next week.

Assemblymember Rodriguez represent the 52nd Assembly District which includes the cities of Chino, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona and portions of unincorporated Fontana.