When it comes to emergencies, a common adage is that, “In an emergency, when seconds count, assistance is only minutes away”. The idea conveyed is that assistance from first responders, quick as it may be, some times arrives too late to produce favorable results. Because of this, in recent years there has been a trend by businesses and governments to make available improved emergency equipment and training of personnel in their use.
The philosophy behind this movement is that the odds of having a positive outcome improve exponentially when action is taken immediately. Schools are a major area where these improvements are likely to have a very positive impact.
One prime example of what is being proposed in Arizona public schools is the introduction of house bill HB2076 by Legislative District 1 Representative Selina Bliss. This bill has been dubbed, the “Faster Saves Lives Act”. The purpose of HB2076 is stated in Subsection A of the bill as follows:
“The save our children school safety program is established within the department to strengthen school safety through employee training, medical preparedness and crisis-response capability. The department may adopt rules, policies and procedures to implement this section.”
Representative Bliss is well-suited to introduce and promote this bill. She has a high degree of expertise in the area of nursing, is chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, and has introduced or supported several bills dealing with this subject. In support of her bill, Representative Bliss has stated that,
“Whether the emergency is an act of violence, a serious athletic injury, or a transportation accident, trained responders on site save lives.”
Individuals who wish to express their opinion of HB2076 may do so via telephone and/or email by using the House and Senate contact information contained in the AZ legislature website, https://www.azleg.gov/
Individuals may also give this bill an up or down vote using the Request to Speak System (RTS). This vote becomes part of the official record of the bill and is available for anyone who visits the AZ legislature’s website to see.
The ability to use the RTS is not automatic. Users must first register, or have someone register them, at the capitol. A very comprehensive article describing how to use the RTS has been posted by the AZ legislature at https://www.azleg.gov/alispdfs/Using_the_Request_to_Speak_Program.pdf
More information regarding citizen involvement in the legislative process may be found in the HOW-TO section of https://azpeopleslobbyist.com/
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