[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 3, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H2746-H2747]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ASTHMA AWARENESS DAY
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of
January 4, 2005, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) is recognized
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is Asthma Awareness Day. I rise to
celebrate the October 2003 enacted Asthmatic Students Treatment and
Health Management Act, ASTHMA. It is now Public Law 108-377 and was
H.R. 2023 in the House and the Senate bill was S. 2815. I introduced
this with the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy), and Senator
Enzi and Senator Kennedy carried the mantle there.
Mr. Speaker, this law provides incentives for States to pass
favorable laws that guarantee that students can carry and use
prescribed medicine and anaphylaxis medications while in school. It is
not a mandate, and incurs no new spending. The idea has been
germinating since the early 1990s and has been building momentum since.
On Asthma Awareness Day, May 7, 2003, there were only 20 asthma-
friendly States in our United States. Even more limiting, of these 20,
only nine extended that protection even further to anaphylaxis
medication like epinephrine auto-injectors. Today, according to the
Allergy and Asthma Network, Mothers of Asthmatics, we have a strong
number of 41 States protecting for asthma, 26 for asthma plus
anaphylaxis, and four have legislation pending for both conditions.
Four that have asthma laws have legislation pending for anaphylaxis,
and there is one State just getting started and has legislation that is
pending for asthma anaphylaxis-carrying students.
Mr. Speaker, this is a dramatic upswing for our children. I am
especially proud to report what is going on in Florida. Florida has
been an inhaler-friendly State for years, but now there is legislation
pending to include epinephrine auto-injectors.
My friend and constituent, Dr. Karl Altenberger, an allergist in
Ocala, Florida, has been active in advancing this for his patients in
the Florida State legislature. He is to be commended. This bill passed
last week and is ready for the Governor's signature.
Just yesterday, the Orlando Sentinel reported ``Girl fights for
allergy law as lives depend on it.'' In Celebration, a central Florida
town, lives 9-year-old Kelsey Ryan. ``Severely allergic to peanuts, she
has never known life without her EpiPen. The dose of adrenaline inside
could save her life and is with her at all times: in classrooms, on
field trips, and during school activities. Now Kelsey has been urging
Tallahassee lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow the estimated
100,000 Florida school children with life-threatening allergies the
same access to this EpiPen.
Kelsey has testified before four Tallahassee committees since
February, meeting lawmakers and passing out practice injectors urging
them to pass the bill. We might call Kelsey a true respiration
inspiration. She shares a quote, ``My mom told me in some schools,
there are children like myself who need the EpiPen with them, but it is
locked far away in the clinic.'' She told the committee that if someone
needed their EpiPen, it might not get to them in time.
Kelsey's charisma and dedication led legislators in Tallahassee to
rename H.B. 279 the Kelsey Ryan Act. More than 60 State legislators
cosponsored the bill which the House passed earlier this month 114 to
0. The Senate passed it last week, and it is on the desk of Governor
Jeb Bush.
Brenda Olson, director of governmental affairs for the American Lung
Association of Florida points out that ``most schools in Florida do not
allow students to carry the EpiPen.'' As we have been saying for years,
``Moments count when these reactions start.''
Kelsey's mother, Blair Ryan, emphasized another point we made in our
bill, H.R. 2023, that this is a team effort between the student, the
parents, the physician, and the school. If a parent and physician
believe that a student is mature and competent to treat him or herself,
a school should not impede this medical regimen, but help it work for
the student.
Currently, school districts across Florida have different policies on
this matter, and some may well not serve a student who just
accidentally got stung by a bee or ate a cookie with an unknown walnut.
Officials in Volusia and Orange counties said the majority of EpiPen
are kept locked in school clinics. This is disastrous for the student's
health and potentially a lawsuit on the school.
In conclusion, I am pleased with the strong progress on this issue
here in our Nation's Capitol and in the State houses. I invite everyone
to join us in the Cannon Caucus Room tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. for a
congressional briefing followed by free asthma screenings and asthma
health clinics and exhibits from 1 to 3:30 p.m. This year, Asthma
Awareness Day is truly a breath of fresh air.
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, is Asthma Awareness Day and I rise to
celebrate the October 2003-enacted Asthmatic Students Treatment and
Health Management Act (ASTHMA). What is now P.l. 108-377, and was H.R.
2023 in the House and S. 2815 in the Senate, I had introduced on 2003's
Asthma Awareness Day with my friend Representative Patrick Kennedy from
Rhode Island. In the Senate, Senator Enzi and Senator Kennedy carried
the mantel.
This law provides incentives for States to pass favorable laws
guaranteeing that students can carry and use prescribed asthma and
anaphylaxis (anna full AXE iss) medications while at school. It is not
a mandate, and it incurs no new spending. This idea has been
germinating since the late 1990s, and has been building momentum since.
On Asthma Awareness Day, May 7, 2003, there were only 20 ``asthma-
friendly'' States. Even more limiting, of these 20 only 9 extended that
protection even further to anaphylaxis (anna full AXE
[[Page H2747]]
iss) medication, like epinephrine auto-injectors. Today, according to
the Allergy and Asthma Network, Mothers of Asthmatics, a grand-slam of
41 States protect for asthma, 26 for asthma plus anaphylaxis, 4 have
legislation pending for both conditions, 4 that already have asthma
laws have legislation pending for anaphylaxis, and 1 State is just
getting started and has legislation pending for asthma. This is a
dramatic upswing for our children.
I am especially proud to report what is going on in Florida. Florida
has been inhaler-friendly for years, but now there is legislation
pending to include epinephrine auto-injectors. My friend and
constituent Karl Altenberger, MD, an allergist in Ocala, FL has been
active on advancing this for his patients for years in the Florida
State legislature. The bill passed last week and is ready for the
Governor.
Just yesterday (May 2nd), the Orlando Sentinel reported that ``Girl
fights for allergy law as if lives depend on it.'' In Celebration, a
central Florida town, lives 9-year-old Kelsey Ryan. ``Severely allergic
to peanuts, (she) has never known life without her EpiPen. The dose of
adrenaline inside could save her life and is with her at all times: in
her classroom, on field trips and during after-school activities.
Now Kelsey has been urging Tallahassee lawmakers to pass a bill that
would allow the estimated 100,000 Florida schoolchildren with life-
threatening allergies the same access to their EpiPens--also known as
epinephrine auto-injectors.
Kelsey has testified before four Tallahassee committees since
February, meeting lawmakers and passing out practice injectors with
tags urging them to pass the bill.'' We might call Kelsey a true
respiration inspiration. She shares that ``My mom told me that in some
other schools there's children like myself who need their EpiPen with
them, but it's locked up far away in the clinic,'' Kelsey told one
committee. ``If they somehow needed their EpiPen, it might not get to
them in time.''
Kelsey's ``charisma and dedication led legislators in Tallahassee to
rename H.B. 279 the ``Kelsey Ryan Act.'' More than 60 State
representatives co-sponsored the bill, which the House passed earlier
this month 114-0. The Senate passed it last week and it is on the desk
of Governor Jeb Bush.
Brenda Olsen, director of governmental affairs for the American Lung
Association of Florida, points out that ``Most schools in the State of
Florida do not allow students to carry their EpiPens,'' and, as we have
been saying for years, ``Moments count when these reactions start.''
Kelsey's mother, Blair Ryan, emphasizes another point we made in H.R.
2003: This is a ``team effort'' between the student, the parents, the
physician, and the school. If a parent and physician believe that a
student is mature and competent to treat him or herself, a school
should not impede this medical regimen, but help it work for the
student. Currently, school districts across Florida vary on their
policies, and some may not well-serve a student who just accidentally
got stung by a bee, or ate a cookie with an unknown walnut. In the
Sentinel article, officials in Volusia and Orange counties said the
majority of EpiPens are kept locked in school clinics. This could prove
to be just disastrous, for the student's health, and potentially as a
lawsuit to the school.
I am pleased with the strong momentous progress of this issue here in
our Nation's capital and in our statehouses. I invite everyone to join
us in the Cannon Caucus room tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. for a Congressional
Briefing, followed by free asthma screenings and asthma health exhibits
from 1-2:30 p.m. This year's Asthma Awareness Day is truly a breath of
fresh air.
____________________