Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
SENATE
Sept. 20, 2004

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

By Mr. DEWINE (for himself and Mr. KENNEDY):

S. 2815. A bill to give a preference regarding States that require schools to allow students to self-administer medication to treat that student's asthma or anaphylaxis, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Mr. DEWINE. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to introduce the Asthmatic Schoolchildren's Treatment and Health Management Act of 2004. I would like to thank my colleague, Senator KENNEDY, for cosponsoring this important piece of legislation.

I have come to the floor now many times to talk about asthma, a condition that affects more than 20 million people, including 6.3 million children. As a parent of eight and a grandparent of eight, I am particularly concerned with the disproportionately high number of children who suffer from pediatric asthma-the worst chronic health problem among our Nation's youth.

I suffer from asthma, as have some of my children, so I know how frightening and dangerous this disease can be. The statistics on pediatric asthma, especially, highlight the need to do more to combat this disease. An average of one out of every 13 school-age children has asthma and the disease is the leading cause of missed school days due to chronic illness. In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control reported that 14 million school days were missed annually because of asthma.

More than missed school days, however, are the tragic consequences of the condition. The number of deaths related to pediatric asthma nearly tripled between 1979 and 1996. In 2000, asthma attacks were the cause of 728,000 visits to the emergency room, 214,000 hospitalizations, and 223 deaths.

We know that the severity of asthma attacks can be decreased primarily through the control of the disease. Physicians instruct patients to carry their inhalers with them at all times, as they know asthma can strike a child anytime, anywhere-in the classroom, on the playground, or in the lunchroom. Therefore, it is imperative that students have immediate access to their inhalers. However, many schools do not allow students to carry their prescribed lifesaving asthma medication. To date, only 30 States, including my home State of Ohio, have laws or developed policies protecting children's right to carry an inhaler at school.

The bill I am introducing today would encourage more States to allow their children to carry their needed asthma medication while they are at school, on the school bus, on the playground, at school sporting events, or on school field trips. It would do so by giving States preference when applying for asthma-related grants.

This bill would help protect our Nation's children from the dangers of a sudden asthma attack-an attack that could result in hospitalization or even death. It also would help prevent the consequences of more severe allergic reactions. Many children suffer from asthma attacks and allergy reactions so severe that they need to carry an epinephrine injector with them at all times in the event of sudden, life-threatening attacks. Severe attacks can cause anaphylactic shock which can kill within minutes. This bill would encourage States to adopt laws and policies allowing children to carry their anaphylaxis medication, including epinephrine injectors, while they are at school.

Currently, 18 States have developed legislation protecting the rights of children to carry and self-administer epinephrine-injectors. We applaud these States and hope that this bill will encourage more States to follow suit.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows: