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House passes ‘Hannah’s Law’

Published (3/4/2011)
By Hank Long
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The parents and grandfather of a 4-year-old girl who died while in the care of a child care center last June after choking on a grape were in the House gallery when members voted 131-0 to pass a bill named in her honor. It now moves to the Senate where Sen. Dan Hall is the sponsor.

Known as “Hannah’s Law,” HF235*/ SF381 would require all care center teachers and assistant teachers to complete CPR training for infants and children, and at least one staff person with training must be present during field trips and when transporting children. The training would have to occur within

90 days after the start of employment.

Sponsor Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-Lakeville) said the bill will “have people trained in first aid, so hopefully this situation will not happen again to another family,” a reference to circumstances of Hannah Kozitza’s death. There was not one trained provider in her care room that knew CPR when the tragedy happened.

Current law only requires one person in a care center to be trained, and they don’t have to be present in the room.

Ron Edlund, Hannah’s grandfather, said last month that the family wonders if the outcome would have been different if there had been at least one person in the room that was trained in CPR when Hannah died. Edlund, a Lakeville resident, contacted Holberg following his granddaughter’s death to propose legislation that would mandate such requirements.

Day care centers account for about half of the care for children in the state. Licensed home day care providers are already required to have CPR training.

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