Bills on Teen Drivers, Self-Administered Medication Signed into Law
from School Health Reporter, Spring 2005
The 2005 legislative session wrapped up May 11, and The Children’s Hospital is proud and pleased to report that Children’s advocates made more than 1,250 legislative contacts over the past four months. During this year’s session, Children’s tracked a wide variety of bills covering issues from teen drivers to childhood immunization notification. Following are some legislative highlights.
SB 36, Minor Drivers and Passengers.
This bill was signed into law in April. It prohibits minor drivers who have held licenses for less than six months from transporting passengers who are under 21 years of age, and those who have had their licenses for less than one year from transporting more than one passenger under 21 years old. The law also puts in place a driving curfew and prohibits minor drivers who have had their licenses for less than one year from driving between midnight and 5 a.m. There are several exceptions written into the bill to allow for passengers and/or early-morning driving in the case of medical emergency, school-authorized activities (if the school does not provide adequate transportation), and employment. The intent of this legislation is to lower the number of accidents and fatalities among teenagers by giving them this additional time to practice their driving skills without the distraction of others in the car.
SB 87, Childhood Immunizations.
At press time, this bill had passed through both the House and the Senate and was awaiting approval by the governor. This bill does not change parents’ current control over whether to immunize their children; however, it does simplify a system to contact parents and let them know when their child's vaccines are due or overdue. Colorado currently ranks last in the U.S. in terms of immunizations for young children. It is anticipated that by giving parents proper and timely notification, more children in our state will be immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases in future years.
SB 156, Asthma and Anaphylaxis Treatment Plans.
This bill became law in April, and is of particular interest to school health workers. It authorizes a student with asthma or severe allergies to possess and self-administer prescribed medication during school, while at school-sponsored activities, or when in transit to and from school activities, if there is an approved treatment plan in place.
SB 170, Automated External Defibrillators.
Also signed into law this session is a statute that directs public schools to accept donations of working automated external defibrillators (AED). It also instructs public schools to accept monetary or in-kind donations designated for the purpose of acquiring an AED, or for the inspection, maintenance, or training in the use of an AED. The law also provides for specific training requirements and limits the liability of the user of the AED device kept in a public school.
Tobacco Tax Implementation.
At the time of this writing, negotiations and debate continue on the fine points of Medicaid and CHP+ expansion made possible by the passage of Amendment 35, which raised the tobacco tax rate in Colorado . However, it is anticipated that once implemented, more than 16,000 children will have health-care coverage who previously were uninsured.
If you would like more information on these or other issues monitored during the legislative session, please visit Speak Up for Kids!
