Committee Hears Support for Bill Requiring Schools to Maintain Stock Epinephrine and Nasal Epinephrine Options

A bipartisan bill that would require schools to maintain a supply of epinephrine auto‑injectors for emergencies prompted personal testimony from parents, educators and disability advocates about life‑saving uses and logistical concerns.

Representative Caitlin Kuttab, a co‑sponsor, said the statute would track usage and allow schools to maintain both injector and nasal spray formulations. She said some programs will supply stock epinephrine at no cost to districts, and that the state medical director had agreed to provide a prescription for districts without a local physician provider. "It is a life saving medication," Kuttab told the committee, adding that the first allergic episode often occurs without prior warning.

Parents and education staff offered firsthand accounts. Nancy Biederman, who testified she sits on the New Hampshire Rare Disease Advisory Council, described a classroom child whose exposure to peanut odor could trigger anaphylaxis. Witnesses urged accessible placement of stock medication (not locked behind doors when staff or students need immediate access) and pointed to newer nasal epinephrine options that may reduce temperature‑storage concerns.

Committee members asked operational questions about dosing (junior vs. adult doses), storage, whether non‑nursing staff can be trained to administer the medication and whether districts need to stock multiple units for campus areas (playgrounds, athletic fields). Representatives said training and an identified responsible staff person would be included in implementation; antiseptic language in the draft protects staff acting in good faith.

Ending: Lawmakers supported the bill's intent; witnesses and members requested clarifications on storage, training, access points and whether the statute should require specific placement or leave that to district policies. No vote was recorded at the hearing.