Kentucky bill that would allow schools to have anti-choking devices heads to the House

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Kentucky bill filed this legislative session would allow schools to have an anti-choking device on hand for students.

Wednesday, Rep. Candy Massaroni, R-Bardstown, introduced House Bill 44.

The bill comes after 8-year-old Landon McCubbins choked to death on a bouncy ball in a Nelson County classroom in 2022.

"We are here today hoping that this never happens to any child again. My sweet Landon deserved better. Our children deserve better. They deserve a chance that my son did not get," Lauren McCubbins said. "I pray every day that no parent or grandparent has to sit helpless and watch their child die on a cold classroom floor like myself and his papaw did."

If passed, the bill would allow schools to have the anti-choking devices available while removing their liability. The device would be an option, not a requirement for schools.

According to a copy of the bill, the device is a "portable suction device used to remove an airway obstruction during a choking emergency that has been registered as a Class II medical device with the United States Food and Drug Administration."

The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee unanimously approved Landon's Law. It now heads to the full House.

The bill has bipartisan support, co-sponsored by Massaroni, Rep. Beverly Chester Burton, D-Jefferson County; Rep. Daniel Grossberg, D-Jefferson County; Rep. John Hogsdon, R-Jefferson County; and Rep. Lisa Willner, D-Jefferson County.

To read more about the bill, click here.

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