Indiana Students Push to Expand Lifeline Law for Medical Amnesty

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Transcript

00:00Indiana was one of the first states to pass a lifeline law.

00:03The goal of the law is to make it easier for young people to call or text 911

00:08for an alcohol-related medical emergency by providing amnesty to the caller.

00:13And if you're looking for the people to thank for that legislation,

00:16well, look no further than your backyard and to the student leaders right here at Purdue University.

00:22Because of their effort of writing the bill and speaking to legislators,

00:27testifying in front of committees, the bill had no vote against it in committee action, on the floor,

00:36and the governor signed it right away.

00:38That was former state senator Jim Merritt, author of the lifeline law, that passed in 2012.

00:44It started 12 years ago with Purdue's student government,

00:47and that baton has been passed once again to the leaders of today.

00:50In their original proposal, they wanted complete protection for underage individuals

00:56who were seeking medical attention for alcohol-related emergencies.

00:59However, that bill was a little too controversial at the time,

01:02and they negotiated it down to cover only the caller.

01:04Student body president Jason Packard and vice president Rebecca Siener were both RAs in the Purdue dorms.

01:10A story of a student being cited for underage drinking after his friend called 911

01:16was the start of revisiting lifeline.

01:18They've built a coalition across Indiana college campuses to ensure those protections pass.

01:23When approached by student leaders to co-author the amendment alongside Senator Ron Alting,

01:28Senator Spencer Deary said the answer was clear.

01:31We need more young people engaged in working to advance their communities,

01:34and so for me it was an easy decision to try to help them.

01:38To learn more about Lifeline, the amendment, and how to get involved, you can head to starcitytv.com.

01:43Emily Slater, Star City News, Purdue University.

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