New legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress would provide epinephrine access and training to law enforcement officers through a federal grant program. “Gio’s Law” is named for 14-year-old Giovanni Cipriano, who died of anaphylaxis due to his peanut allergy.
Giovanni’s mom Georgina Cornago has been advocating for epinephrine access since her son’s fatal allergic reaction in 2013. She stresses the importance of ensuring first responders are prepared with the lifesaving medication.
“Equipping law-enforcement and first responders nationwide with epinephrine is not optional. It’s essential it will save lives,” she tells Allergic Living.
New York Representatives Laura Gillen and Andrew Garbarino introduced H.R. 4019 to the House of Representatives on June 18, 2025. If passed, the bipartisan bill will authorize $25 million annually for the first federal grant to fund epinephrine devices and training for police officers. The Department of Justice would run the grant program, distributing funds each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030.
Gillen, who says she was “deeply moved by Gio’s story, worked with Cornago to craft the legislation. As he started to have the allergic reaction, Cornago tried to get Gio to medical help. But his symptoms turned severe swiftly, and there wasn’t enough time.
“This bipartisan, commonsense legislation will honor Gio’s memory and gives our law enforcement officers the tools they need to save lives,” Gillen says in a statement.
Advocating for Epinephrine
Cornago’s path to the federal legislation began in her home state of New York. The resident of Long Island’s Lynbrook Village started advocating for a state law in 2014, soon after her son died. Raising awareness about the need to use epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis without hesitation is at the heart of her efforts.
On October 1, 2013, a movie night at home with Giovanni’s mom turned tragic. When the teen ate a snack that he didn’t know contained peanuts, he started experiencing symptoms of an allergic reaction, including an itchy throat.
His mom gave him an antihistamine. Then Giovanni, who also had asthma, used his inhaler as his mom drove him to urgent care. But the medical office had closed, and Cornago couldn’t locate her son’s epinephrine auto-injector.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, Giovanni’s hand was cold when his mom grabbed it. He’d lost consciousness due to the lack of oxygen. After three weeks of efforts to save him, Giovanni died on October 18.
“My hope is that no other family has to endure what mine has,” Cornago tells Allergic Living. “Gio’s Law is a step toward that hope becoming reality.”
She previously led efforts in support of New York’s Gio’s Law (S3247B), which passed in 2019. That law authorizes firefighters and police officers in the state to carry and administer epinephrine.
In 2023, Long Island’s Suffolk County adopted its own Gio’s Law, making it a requirement for county police officers to carry epinephrine auto-injectors in their cars. But when Long Island’s Nassau County did not follow suit, Cornago decided it was time to take the legislation to the national level.
“It fueled me even more. We’re going to go to Washington and we’re going to make this happen,” she says.
Gio’s Law on the National Stage
Once Giovanni’s mom met with Congresswoman Gillen, the federal Gio’s Law bill was ready to introduce in a matter of months.
The bill would amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. It provides grants to states and local law enforcement agencies who apply for funding.
The funds would go toward:
- The purchase of epinephrine products. These can be auto-injectors or “a product that facilitates the administration of epinephrine other than by injection.”
- Training law enforcement officers on recognizing the symptoms of anaphylaxis, and on the use epinephrine devices to treat anaphylactic reactions.
Cornago says that the bill’s grant program allocation of $25 million a year would alleviate funding concerns. In past, these have stalled efforts to equip officers with resources to treat allergic reactions.
Bill Johnson of the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) calls the Gio’s Law resources and training “vital.”
“State and local law enforcement officers are our nation’s first responders, and they are often the first on the scene for calls for medical emergencies,” says Johnson, executive director of NAPO, which endorses the bill.
How to Help Gio’s Law
Cornago watched years of tireless advocacy come to fruition during the press conference announcing the bill’s introduction at the Lynbrook Police Department on Long Island. Of her son, she says: “I made a promise to him that I would make sure his death was not in vain and that I would make sure that I saw this to fruition. I think I did that today.”
Now, Giovanni’s mom is asking other members of the food allergy community to speak up in support of Gio’s Law.
Supporters can contact their lawmakers to encourage them to help move the national bill forward. In addition, Cornago will be posting updates and ways to help on The Love for Giovanni Foundation support group Facebook page.
“I hope lawmakers see the importance of Gio’s law, and the urgency. This is common sense,” she says.
Other Epinephrine Advocacy
In Wisconsin, Mark Mueller also lost his son Andrew to an anaphylactic reaction. If the police officer who was first on the scene for Andrew’s emergency had epinephrine, “it might have made the difference in saving Andrew’s life,” he says.
The 20-year-old died on November 23, 2024, after eating peanut M&M’s. He and his family had not known that Andrew, who had never eaten peanut products, was allergic to peanuts. Since he was undiagnosed, Andrew did not have his own epinephrine.
Mueller thinks Gio’s Law could have made a difference for his son. “Had this law already been in effect, there is a great chance that Andrew might still be here,” he tells Allergic Living.
In Wisconsin, Andrew’s family is advocating for Senate Bill 156, which was introduced into the state legislature in March 2025. The proposed legislation would require first responders to be trained to recognize the symptoms of anaphylaxis, and to use epinephrine products. They also would be required to have an epinephrine product available “for use at all times while on duty,” the bill states.
“We are hopeful that Andrew’s law will go to the assembly this fall and might be a law in Wisconsin by the end of the year,” Mueller says.
A memorial benefit and car show was held June 21 to raise food allergy awareness and donations for the Andrew Mueller Memorial Scholarship fund. The family also raised more than $3,500 for local police officers, many of whom are now trained and equipped with epinephrine.
Another Wisconsin family, coincidentally also named Mueller, are advocating for epinephrine access. Dillon’s Law would incentivize states to allow trained individuals to carry an epinephrine device and use it in an emergency, without liability.
The legislation is named for their son Dillon Mueller, who died in October 2014, at the age of 18, from a fatal allergic reaction to a bee sting. Epinephrine was not available while first responders attempted to help him.
Dillon’s family has worked to expand access to epinephrine in their state and beyond. Wisconsin was the first state to pass Dillon’s Law in 2017. Minnesota also has adopted the legislation. Illinois is the latest state to move Dillon’s Law forward, passing the state House then Senate in the spring of 2025.
The family’s website provides information on how to advocate for this legislation in other states.
Related Reading:
20-Year-Old Dies of Peanut Allergy He Didn’t Know He Had
Neffy Epi Spray: Real-World Feedback and Congestion Studies
