BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  ACR 82
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   September 11, 2013

                             ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
                              Richard S. Gordon, Chair
                    ACR 82 (Pan) - As Amended:  September 6, 2013
           
          SUBJECT  :   Food allergy awareness.

           SUMMARY  :   Declares September as Food Allergy Awareness Month  
          and encourages all Californians to make themselves and their  
          families aware of the risk of food allergies and preventative  
          measures, and to educate themselves regarding emergency  
          responses.  Specifically,  this resolution  makes the following  
          legislative findings:

          1)As many as 15 million people in the United States have a food  
            allergy; and, research indicates the prevalence of food  
            allergies is increasing among children with as many as six  
            million children under 18 years of age, roughly two in every  
            classroom, having a food allergy.

          2)The eight foods that cause 90 percent of all food allergy  
            reactions in the United States are shellfish, fish, milk,  
            eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, and wheat.

          3)Food Allergy Research and Education, a nonprofit organization,  
            works on behalf of 15 million people in the United States with  
            food allergies to ensure the safety of individuals with food  
            allergies by providing education and resources and investing  
            in research that advances treatment and understanding of food  
            allergies.

          4)There is no cure for a food allergy, and the only sure way to  
            avoid a reaction is to exercise strict avoidance of an  
            allergen; and, to be aware of the symptoms of a food allergy  
            which include tingling sensation in the mouth, swelling of the  
            tongue and throat, difficulty breathing, hives, vomiting, a  
            drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, or death.

          5)The Natalie Giorgi Sunshine Foundation was created after the  
            death of Natalie Giorgi, a 13-year old girl who passed away  
            because of a severe allergic reaction to peanuts, in order to  
            reduce dangerous food allergy deaths by spreading public  
            awareness, and increasing the availability of epinephrine  
            injectors in public places.








                                                                  ACR 82
                                                                  Page  2


           FISCAL EFFECT  :   None

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support 
           
          None on file

           Opposition 
           
          None on file
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Nicole Willis / RLS. / (916) 319-2800