ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Grief turned into action under Georgia’s Gold Dome on Wednesday as lawmakers unanimously backed a bill aimed at helping 911 callers find a nearby automated external defibrillator (AED) in the moments that can decide life or death.

The Mason Sells AED Coordination Act, also known as Senate Bill 399, would require a formal process to map AED locations and share that information with 911 dispatch centers, so dispatchers can direct callers to the closest device during a cardiac emergency.

“This common sense piece of legislation was born out of tragedy,” said Rep. Josh Bonner, the bill’s House sponsor.

Mason Sells, a 20-year-old student, collapsed during an intramural soccer game. His family said an AED was nearby, but no one knew where to go. Mason’s father, Scott Sells, described a candlelight vigil held around the time of what would have been his son’s 21st birthday, saying there were “more candles than we could ever load onto a cake.”

Inside the Capitol, AEDs are present but can be hard to spot quickly. That’s the problem the Sells family said they faced when Mason collapsed: the device existed, but precious time slipped away.

The bill’s push comes as medical experts continue to stress that minutes matter in cardiac arrest. The American Heart Association has said survival can reach as high as 90% if a person receives a shock within the first minute, with odds dropping sharply as time passes.

“We came to Sen. Harbin a little over a year ago with broken hearts and a concern,” Scott Sells said.

The family watched from the House floor as the vote board lit up — a rare, unanimous vote that brought visible emotion in the chamber.

State Sen. Marty Harbin, who sponsored the measure, said the bill’s goal is straightforward: save time, save lives.

“This is a thing that makes a difference in people’s lives,” Harbin said. “And that’s really what keeps me coming back. Because we need to make a difference.”

For the Sells family, the vote brought relief, but not closure.

“I would trade every one of them, and I would take my boy back,” Scott Sells said.

The bill now heads to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk.

If signed, Georgia agencies would begin mapping AED locations and training dispatchers to guide callers in real time.

The Sells family said they see this as a beginning, and want AEDs easier to find across the state, especially in places where young people gather and play sports.

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