Hoyer Remarks at Bipartisan Briefing on School Access to Eme

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Hoyer Remarks at Bipartisan Briefing on School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act



WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) delivered remarks today at a bipartisan briefing on the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act, which he sponsored with Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN). Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:
“As the grandfather of a child with a severe food allergy, I understand how worrisome it is knowing that in any environment – at school, at home, anywhere – a deadly allergen may be present. That’s why Representative Roe and I introduced this bill in December. I did it for my granddaughter, Alexa, but I also did so for the nearly six million children in our country for whom food allergies are a daily concern.
“Because of the quick-acting nature of many food allergies, lives depend on not hours or minutes, but sometimes just seconds. At the same time, students without prior exposure to an allergen likely do not have epinephrine injectors on hand or experience in their use. That’s why it’s critical that our schools are equipped with emergency epinephrine injectors that can stop an anaphylactic reaction quickly.
“Our bill will encourage public elementary and secondary schools to permit authorized personnel to administer emergency epinephrine to students suffering an attack. Furthermore, it also encourages schools to maintain a supply of epinephrine on hand in case such emergencies occur.
“When parents send their children off to school in the morning, they should be able to worry about their kids doing well in class and making friends – not about whether the school has life-saving epinephrine available in the event of a serious allergy attack.
“Again, I want to thank Representative Phil Roe for partnering with me on this legislation, which I hope will help save lives.”



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