Critical Legislation Equipping Californians with Lifesaving Skills to ‘STOP THE BLEED’ Clears the State Senate

(Sacramento, CA) – Today, Assembly Bill (AB) 70, authored by Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez (D – Pomona), cleared the State Senate with a 40-0 vote. This legislation would require certain public and private buildings that undergo renovations or modifications with costs exceeding $100,000 to install and maintain six trauma kits on their premises. The kits would be placed in an easily accessible and recognizable container next to an automated external defibrillator (AED).

“Having served more than 30 years as a first responder, I have firsthand experience treating a patient suffering severe blood loss and know that every second counts when working to save a life. Equipping Californians with lifesaving tools, such as trauma kits, will empower them to help save lives when waiting for emergency personnel to arrive on scene,” stated Assemblymember Rodriguez. 

AB 70 is an expansion of last year’s AB 2260 (Rodriguez, Chapter 556, Statutes of 2022). That legislation now requires the placement of trauma kits in similar new construction buildings. By expanding the accessibility of trauma kits for bystanders to serve as immediate responders, we can provide emergency personnel more time to arrive on scene and continue saving a victim’s life.

In 2015, President Obama launched the ‘STOP THE BLEED’ campaign, a grassroots effort to encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to take life-saving action while emergency medical services personnel are en route. Today, more than 3 million people have received this training.

Over the years, mass casualty events have unfortunately increased in frequency. Other states have passed legislation to empower residents to ‘STOP THE BLEED.’ With over 600 mass shootings nationwide just last year, we must do more to empower Californians and eliminate preventable deaths.

“It is devastating that mass shootings have become more common, but it is an unfortunate reality we must address. As Chair of the Emergency Management Committee, I emphasize that while we cannot predict a natural disaster, we can prepare for one. Mass casualty events should be treated in the same manner, and equipping Californians with trauma kits allows us to do so,” added Assemblymember Rodriguez.

Assemblymember Rodriguez (Linktree) represents the 53rd Assembly District which includes the cities of Chino, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona, and Upland. He is Chair of the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management.