Read the full stored bill text
A4582
ASSEMBLY, No. 4582
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires placement of portable FDA-approved
anti-choking devices in schools.�
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning the placement of portable anti-choking
devices in schools and supplementing chapter 40 of Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� Each board of education
of a public school district and the governing board or chief school
administrator of a nonpublic school in the State shall ensure that at least one
portable anti-choking device is made available in the cafeteria, the office of
the school nurse, and any other similar location.� The devices shall be placed
in unlocked and easily accessible locations during the school day and at any
other time when a school-sponsored event is taking place.� The locations of
each device shall have an appropriate identifying sign.
���� As used in this act, �portable
anti-choking device� means a portable medical device that uses manually created
suction to remove blockage from the airway during a choking emergency that has
been approved for use by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
���� 2.��� Each board of education
and the governing board or chief administrator of a nonpublic school shall
develop policies for the use of portable anti-choking devices by school nurses
and school employees.� The policies shall include a requirement that all school
nurses and school employees receive training in airway management and in the
removal of any obstruction from the airway using a portable anti-choking
device.
���� 3.��� The Commissioner of
Education shall ensure that annual educational opportunities are made available
for school nurses and employees of both public and nonpublic schools regarding
airway management and the use of portable anti-choking devices.
���� 4.��� The Department of
Education shall provide for the reimbursement of the costs incurred by school
districts and nonpublic schools in implementing the provisions of this act.�
The department shall establish procedures by which a school district or
nonpublic school may apply for reimbursement pursuant to this section.� The
department is authorized to accept contributions of funds from private or
nonprofit entities in order to defray the expenses of the State in reimbursing
public and nonpublic schools pursuant to this section.
���� 5.��� This act shall take
effect on the 180th day after enactment, but the Commissioner of Education may
take such anticipatory administrative action in advance as necessary for the
timely implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
���� This bill would require public
and nonpublic schools to ensure that at least one portable FDA-approved
anti-choking device is made available in the cafeteria, school nurse�s office,
and any other similar location.� The devices would be placed in an unlocked and
easily accessible location during the school day and at any other time when a
school-sponsored event is taking place.� Under the bill, the locations of each
portable anti-choking device are required to have an appropriate identifying
sign.� A portable anti-choking device is a device that uses manually created
suction to remove blockage from a person�s airway during a choking emergency.�
These devices may only be used in schools provided they have been approved for
use by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
���� Each board of education and
the governing board or chief administrator of a nonpublic school would be
required to develop policies for the use of anti-choking devices by school
nurses and school employees.� The policies would include a requirement that all
school nurses and school employees receive training in airway management and in
the removal of any obstructions from the airway using a portable anti-choking
device.� The Commissioner of Education would ensure that annual educational
opportunities are made available for school nurses and employees of both public
and nonpublic schools regarding airway management and the use of portable anti-choking
devices.
���� The Department of Education
would reimburse public and nonpublic schools for the costs incurred to
implement the provisions of this bill.