HCS HB 132 Dougherty, Patrick

C O M M I T T E E

HCS HB 132 -- STUDENT MEDICATIONS

SPONSOR: Morgan (Dougherty)

COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education by a vote of 22 to 0.

This substitute explicitly permits school boards to allow students to administer medicine by way of inhalers as needed to treat a potentially life-threatening respiratory illness. Before allowing a student to use an inhaler in an unsupervised setting, school boards must obtain from the student's parents: (1) written authorization; (2) a signed release from liability; (3) a medical history of the student's experience with the illness and medication; and (4) a plan of action to address emergency situations related to the act of self-medicating. School boards must also obtain certification from a physician that the student has a potentially life-threatening respiratory condition and is capable of self-administering medication.

The State Board of Education is directed to promulgate rules necessary to implement these provisions, subject to review by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.

FISCAL NOTE: Not available at time of this printing.

PROPONENTS: Supporters say that some school districts require all medicines to be kept in a central location and only permit them to be administered by a school nurse or designated school employee. This creates a hardship and a potential health hazard for students who need immediate access to medications, for example students suffering from asthma.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Dougherty; Dr. Mark Vandewalker; American Lung Association; Shannon Payne; and Joyce Payne.

OPPONENTS: There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Brian K. Long, Research Analyst