Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2008

Floor Speech

Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2008

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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act.

Imagine having a child with a food allergy who is at school and can potentially eat something that will cause a life-threatening or fatal reaction. This can especially be a very nerve-wracking experience for any parent when their child is away from home and spends most of their time in school.

This commonsense legislation was brought to my attention by many school-age children from my congressional district. They shared their experiences of what they have to do every day to manage their food allergies. They have to scrutinize everything they eat in order to make sure they avoid the allergy-producing ingredients. The least we can do for these children and their parents is to encourage school districts across the country to adopt uniform guidelines in managing the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis, and develop emergency plans for children who suffer from this illness. This legislation would accomplish this goal by creating a new grant program to provide resources for those school districts who voluntarily implement these measures.

Madam Speaker, by passing this bill, we can help reduce the number of life-threatening allergic reactions and help children manage their food allergies. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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