Washington, D.C.  –  Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) and House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) released the following statements following House passage of the bipartisan School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act.

“I am pleased to see the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved this bill,” said Roe. “According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, roughly one in 13 kids under age 18 have at least one food allergy. A systemic allergic reaction can kill within minutes. As a father and grandfather, I know firsthand that you can never be too careful when protecting the life of a child and this legislation will ensure we’re taking every precaution possible to ensure children are safe should they have an allergic reaction at school. I want to thank Whip Hoyer and my colleagues for their support of this bill and I am hopeful the Senate will pass this bill and send it to the president.”

“As the grandfather of a child with a severe food allergy, I’m proud that the House passed the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act today with strong bipartisan support,” stated Congressman Hoyer. “This legislation will help ensure schools are prepared to save lives when students have a severe allergic reaction. It is especially important for the many students who are aren’t aware they have an allergy and don’t have epinephrine on hand to halt a life-threatening reaction. I’m hopeful the Senate will take up this bill without delay, and I thank Congressman Roe for his dedication to this issue, as well as our cosponsors from both sides of the aisle for their support in passing this important legislation.” 

Background: The bill, introduced by Rep. Roe and Whip Hoyer, 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. Roe and Hoyer introduced a similar bill during the 112th Congress.

The bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by 20 Democrats and 16 Republicans, and 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. A copy of the bill can be found here.