The House has passed a bill aimed at helping schools better prepare for severe, sometimes life-threatening, allergic reactions caused by eating peanuts or other food products.
The measure would encourage states to come up with policies to make a drug used to treat anaphylactic shock, epinephrine, available in schools.
It would also give incentives to schools to permit trained administrators to administer epinephrine to students believed to be having an anaphylactic reaction, And it would require states to review their liability laws to ensure that administrators have adequate legal protections when they come to the aid of students.
The bill is sponsored by Republican congressman Phil Roe of Tennessee, himself a doctor, and Democratic congressman Steny Hoyer of Maryland. The measure now goes to the Senate.
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