S. 2373 (119th)Bill Overview

Jordan McNair Student Athlete Heat Fatality Prevention Act

Education|Education
Cosponsors
Support
Democratic
Introduced
Jul 22, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief
Plain-English summaryWhat this bill actually does

This bill (Jordan McNair Student Athlete Heat Fatality Prevention Act) amends the Higher Education Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to require institutions of higher education (that participate in federal programs and are members of athletic associations/conferences) and secondary schools that receive federal funds and run student athletics programs to develop and implement venue-specific heat-related illnesses emergency action plans within one year. Plans must include symptom identification, coordination-of-care procedures, and a plan for operation and use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and cold water immersion equipment; they must be posted at key athletic locations, made publicly available online, shared with local emergency responders, and practiced in-person annually with listed personnel.

Why people may split

Funding and unfunded-mandate concerns: liberals and centrists want dedicated support; conservatives emphasize risk of federal overreach and costs.

Watch point

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a substantive policy change that clearly defines the problem and prescribes concrete requirements and reporting obligations for educational institutions to address venue-specific heat-related emergencies.

This bill (Jordan McNair Student Athlete Heat Fatality Prevention Act) amends the Higher Education Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to require institutions of higher education (that participate in federal programs and are members of athletic associations/conferences) and secondary schools that receive federal funds and run student athletics programs to develop and implement venue-specific heat-related illnesses emergency action plans within one year.

Plans must include symptom identification, coordination-of-care procedures, and a plan for operation and use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and cold water immersion equipment; they must be posted at key athletic locations, made publicly available online, shared with local emergency responders, and practiced in-person annually with listed personnel.

Institutions must submit an annual compliance report to the Secretary and authorizing committees.

Passage45/100

Because the bill is narrowly tailored to athlete safety, non-ideological, and imposes modest direct federal costs, it has a reasonable pathway to enactment relative to more controversial measures. Key facilitators are bipartisan appeal and straightforward administrative requirements. Main barriers are the lack of explicit funding for required equipment and potential resistance to attaching new conditions to federal education funds—issues that could trigger amendment requests or slow committee and floor action.

CredibilityPartially aligned

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a substantive policy change that clearly defines the problem and prescribes concrete requirements and reporting obligations for educational institutions to address venue-specific heat-related emergencies. It integrates the new obligations into existing statutory frameworks and sets deadlines and minimum plan elements.

Contention60/100

Funding and unfunded-mandate concerns: liberals and centrists want dedicated support; conservatives emphasize risk of federal overreach and costs.

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Likely benefits vs burdens50% / 50%
Students · Local governmentsSchools · Federal agencies

These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.

Likely helped
  • StudentsCould reduce heat-related injuries and fatalities among student athletes by standardizing venue-specific emergency resp…
  • Local governmentsImproves preparedness and coordination with local emergency medical services through required distribution of plans and…
  • Local governmentsCreates demand for training services, medical equipment (e.g., cold water immersion tubs, AEDs), and certified athletic…
Likely burdened
  • SchoolsImposes compliance costs on institutions and school districts for developing plans, staff training, recordkeeping, and…
  • SchoolsCreates administrative and reporting burdens (annual reports to the Secretary and committees, public posting, recurring…
  • Federal agenciesMandating specific operational readiness (e.g., cold water immersion and AED access within 3 minutes as a recommendatio…
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

Funding and unfunded-mandate concerns: liberals and centrists want dedicated support; conservatives emphasize risk of federal overreach and costs.
Progressive85%

A mainstream liberal would likely view the bill favorably as a targeted, evidence-informed public health safety measure protecting student athletes, addressing preventable deaths, and promoting transparency and training.

They would applaud the focus on venue-specific plans, posting and public availability, and required drills for athletes and staff.

They would be concerned, however, that the bill does not itself appropriate new funding and may place compliance burdens on under-resourced secondary schools and smaller institutions.

Leans supportive
Centrist70%

A centrist/technocratic observer would generally approve of the bill's goal to prevent heat-related harm and would see venue-specific emergency plans and coordination with responders as reasonable, pragmatic measures.

They would welcome the use of recognized measures like WBGT and the emphasis on practice and posting, while expressing caution about implementation costs, administrative burden, and the lack of explicit appropriations.

They would favor measured support combined with monitoring, cost estimates, and provision of federal assistance to minimize unintended burdens on smaller schools.

Leans supportive
Conservative30%

A mainstream conservative would acknowledge the public-safety intent but be wary of federal conditions tied to education funding and new administrative mandates.

They would emphasize state and local control, worry about unfunded mandates and compliance costs for small or rural districts, and question whether the federal government should prescribe these operational plans.

They could support voluntary adoption or grant-funded implementation but are likely to oppose strict conditionality without funding and prefer greater flexibility for local authorities.

Likely resistant
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood45/100

Because the bill is narrowly tailored to athlete safety, non-ideological, and imposes modest direct federal costs, it has a reasonable pathway to enactment relative to more controversial measures. Key facilitators are bipartisan appeal and straightforward administrative requirements. Main barriers are the lack of explicit funding for required equipment and potential resistance to attaching new conditions to federal education funds—issues that could trigger amendment requests or slow committee and floor action.

Scope and complexity
52%
Scopemoderate
24%
Complexitylow
Why this could stall
  • The bill does not include a cost estimate or dedicated funding; it is unclear how many schools (especially under-resourced districts and smaller colleges) could comply without new resources, which may affect congressional willingness to advance the measure or insist on appropriation language.
  • Enforcement and consequences for noncompliance are unspecified—how the Secretary or authorizing committees would act on deficient reports is unclear and could prompt calls for clarification or change.
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

No vote history yet

The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

Funding and unfunded-mandate concerns: liberals and centrists want dedicated support; conservatives emphasize risk of federal overreach and…

Because the bill is narrowly tailored to athlete safety, non-ideological, and imposes modest direct federal costs, it has a reasonable path…

Unlocked analysis

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a substantive policy change that clearly defines the problem and prescribes concrete requirements and reporting obligations for educational institutions to address…

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
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