LONGMEADOW – A new law would require schools across the state to have automated external defibrillators (AED) to help prevent deaths from cardiac arrest.

The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Eric Lesser and was approved by the State Senate and has been signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker.

The bill was inspired by a 19-year-old Westfield resident Kevin Major, who died suddenly from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 2011 while swimming in Congamond Lakes.

The new law requires every school in the state to have an AED device that can shock a person’s heart back into its proper rhythm after going into cardiac arrest, Lesser said. About 20 percent of schools in the Commonwealth currently do not have AEDs.

Lesser told Reminder Publications Major’s mother Susan Canning made him aware of the issue.

Canning helped found KEVS Foundation, an organization created in Major’s memory to educate and prevent sudden cardiac arrest in children and young adults.

“She told me her story about her son and what a tragic and preventable situation they faced,” he explained.

“After we sort of did a little work on it and researched it a little bit, we found many other parents who had similar stories and similar situations. For example, in 2008 a Springfield high school student suddenly passed away from a similar situation. It got us thinking, these AEDs are on airplanes, are in public spaces, they’re in lobbies … and for a very minimal cost you can have them at sporting events and schools. They require some very minimal training and if it saves even one life, to me, if feels well worth it,” he continued.

He added he worked with Senate President Stan Rosenberg and state Sen. Mark Montigny to get the bill passed in the senate. Lesser said the bill passed without opposition in the senate, receiving bipartisan support.

“We invest in emergency preparedness for a reason, so that we are ready when these tools are needed. This is why I am proud that Massachusetts has taken this step to stop these preventable tragedies at our schools. I hope the governor will follow the Senate’s lead and sign this bill into law,” Lesser said.

He added the Legislature would work to make state grants available for communities to purchase AEDs and private foundations would also donate funds to help schools purchase the devices.

“What I really envision is a collaboration between the local school districts, the community, the private individuals, and the state,” he noted.