A new bill authored by Sen. Jeremy Miler (R-Winona) would protect individuals who provide care to someone experiencing a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Senate File 1257 would allow any certified individual to administer their epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen) to another individual in anaphylaxis — a practice prohibited under current law.

“Imagine being at a concert or sporting event when suddenly the person next to you starts suffering a deadly allergic reaction,” said Sen. Miller. “If you carry an EpiPen, your first instinct would be to grab your injector and help them. But under current law, you could be held liable for that action. Allergic reactions can turn life threatening in a very short period of time and removing these unnecessary barriers will help save lives.”

Roughly ten percent of people carry EpiPens and therefore are already certified to administer one. Other individuals can become certified by participating in a training program that instructs students how to recognize signs and symptoms of severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis; standards and procedures for the storage and administration of an epinephrine auto-injector; and emergency follow-up procedures.

The bill is modeled after the widely popular and bipartisan ‘Dillon’s Law’ that became law in Wisconsin in 2017.

Sen. Miller’s bill will be heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Finance Committee tomorrow, March 5 at 3:00 p.m.