First Responders Can Now Carry EpiPens On Long Island, Upstate

ALBANY, NY — Governor Kathy Hochul has inked an amendment to Gio’s Law, paving the way for counties outside New York City to enact legislation allowing law enforcement officers, firefighters, and Emergency Medical Services personnel to carry and administer EpiPens in emergencies, Sen. Dean Murray's office said.

EpiPens are used to reverse anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially fatal allergic reaction that claims between 500 and 1,000 lives yearly in the United States, according to Murray's office.

Six percent of U.S. adults and children are affected by food allergies, with one in three adults and one in four children having at least one allergy, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
In New York, more than 218,000 students live with life-threatening food allergies, according to Food Allergy Research and Education.

Gio's Law is named after Giovanni Cipriano, a 14-year-old Lawrence boy, who died from a severe allergic reaction. The amendment allowed the provision to take effect after it was signed by Hochul.

This bipartisan amendment, championed by Murray, a Republican, and Julia Salazar, a Democrat, addresses an oversight in the original law restricting counties with populations of more than one million residents from implementing such programs.

Murray noted that holiday feasting with family and friends can also increase the chances of food allergy interactions, "which can have tragic results.”

"That is why I am so happy to announce that the legislation that I co-sponsored with my colleague from across the aisle, Senator Julia Salazar, amending Gio’s Law, has been signed into law by the governor," he said.

Hochul noted allergic reactions can be "extremely dangerous, and seconds count to ensure treatment is administered in time to save a life."

"With the placement of EpiPens in every Suffolk and Nassau county police car, we ensure first responders have the tools and training they need to respond rapidly in an emergency," she said. "Thank you to my partners in the Legislature for their advocacy and assistance seeing this through."

Sen. Julia Salazar said, "Making communities safer must begin with prioritizing the wellness of our constituents impacted by severe health conditions."

"New Yorkers residing in Westchester and on Long Island can now rest assured that first responders will be equipped with the means to administer epinephrine at the site of a health emergency,” she said. "I extend my gratitude to our senate co-sponsors, especially Senator Murray for expanding the law to include his constituents, and to the Cipriano family, whose loss of their beloved Gio inspired this law.”