Legislative Updates

The General Assembly of Virginia passed House Bill 1700 in March 2025, requiring bleeding control kits to be placed in all public elementary and high schools in Virginia in easily accessible locations. The legislation also requires school boards to develop and implement a bleeding control program in public elementary and high schools in the state. 

Peter S. Hopewood, MD, FACS, joined Jimm Dodd, ACS Stop the Bleed Program Manager, and Catherine Hendricks, ACS Manager of State Affairs, on a Cape Cod Public Radio program to discuss efforts in the Massachusetts State Legislature to put Stop the Bleed kits in public places and expand training throughout the state. The segment touches on Stop the Bleed measures passed in other states, the positive impact they've had, and the push to enact federal legislation to help save lives nationwide.

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In late March 2024, the Washington State Legislature enacted legislation requiring schools in the state to maintain and provide bleeding control equipment on campus. The result of years of advocacy efforts from multiple groups and organizations across the state, including members of the ACS Committee on Trauma and the ACS Washington State Chapter, the bill also includes other measures to greatly help communities respond to bleeding emergencies.

Read about SB 5790