Post by bot on Nov 1, 2013 12:47:21 GMT -5
Hoyer, Roe Applaud Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Protect Children with Food Allergies
WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) and Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) released the following statements after Senate passage of the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act, which now heads to the White House for the President's signature:
“After years of working toward its passage, I am very pleased that the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act has passed both the House and Senate,” Whip Hoyer said. “The President ought to sign it into law immediately. This new law will help save children’s lives by encouraging schools to stock emergency epinephrine and by training and authorizing school staff to use it in the event that a student is exposed to an allergen and shows signs of anaphylaxis. As the grandfather of a child with severe food allergies, I know all too well how critically important it is to administer life-saving epinephrine in the minutes following the onset of an anaphylactic attack. I want to thank Dr. Phil Roe for partnering with me to pass this important measure.”
“I am pleased the Senate passed this important, bipartisan legislation,” said Roe. “It was a pleasure working across the aisle with Whip Hoyer, and I thank him for his leadership on this issue. This bill will provide a new incentive for states to take additional measures to protect students by stocking epinephrine in public schools. You can never be too careful when protecting the life of a child, and I look forward to President Obama signing the bill into law.”
The bill, introduced by Whip Hoyer and Rep. Roe, encourages states to adopt policies that increase access to epinephrine in schools to protect students who are at risk of fatal anaphylaxis, a systemic allergic reaction. Whip Hoyer and Roe introduced a similar bill during the 112th Congress. The bill is endorsed by Food Allergy Research & Education; the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; the American Medical Association; and the American Academy of Emergency Medicine.
The bill passed the House by a voice vote and the Senate by unanimous consent. A copy of the bill can be found here.
docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20130729/BILLS-113hr2094-SUS.pdf
Visit www.democraticwhip.gov/ for more press, floor and member resources.