Committee hears testimony on House Bill 44 to allow airway‑clearing devices in schools

The Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary & Secondary Education & Workforce Development heard testimony on House Bill 44, also called “Landon’s Law,” a proposal that would allow schools to keep airway‑clearing devices on site and include language the bill’s proponents say would remove liability from schools.

Representative Candy Massaroni, state representative for Nelson County, introduced the bill to the committee as “a simple piece of legislation” with potential for “a very big impact,” saying the measure would permit schools to have life‑saving airway‑clearing devices while removing liability from the schools. Antony Labate, director of Equal First Aid, and Laura Benelli of LifeVac also testified in support. Labate described Equal First Aid as a not‑for‑profit raising awareness for airway‑clearing devices and cited guidance from the American Heart Association and a Red Cross advisory update in June 2023 backing use of airway devices when standard protocols are not feasible.

Lauren McCubbins, who identified herself as the mother of Landon Willard McCubbins, read a letter to the committee describing her son and the circumstances of his death at Boston Elementary. In the letter she said, “My son may still be alive had there been” a device available, and asked lawmakers to allow an additional rescue option in schools.

Committee members asked questions about how the device works and about emergency response. Representative Bogdanowski, identifying herself as a teacher, asked for clarification: “Could someone explain because I'm not familiar with what a LifeVac is or an airway clearing device? And kinda my second thought as I was listening is why why didn't the paramedics have it?” Benelli described the LifeVac as “a very simple device. It's noninvasive, which means it does not enter the body. There is an adult mask and a pediatric mask,” and explained that the device creates suction to remove an obstruction. Labate said the product is registered with the Food and Drug Administration but not fully FDA‑approved and that some emergency services are beginning to acquire them.

A motion on the bill was made and seconded, and committee members proceeded with questions; the transcript includes no recorded vote or final disposition of the motion. The proponents asked the committee to consider the bill as an added option when standard emergency protocols fail.

The hearing record includes repeated references to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the American Heart Association (November 2023 guidance cited by a witness), a Red Cross advisory council update (June 2023), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as used by witnesses to frame the policy argument. The bill's sponsors and witnesses emphasized support from disability‑advocacy organizations and parents across multiple states but did not provide legislative language details or a timeline for a committee vote in the portion of the record provided.

Next steps and any scheduling for additional committee action were not specified in the transcript.