Rep. Laura Gillen moved Gio’s Law toward becoming federal policy — this time with Giovanni Cipriano’s mother at her side after appearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Nov. 20
For more than a decade, Georgina Cornago has pressed lawmakers to ensure that first responders nationwide can carry and administer epinephrine to those who have life-threatening allergic reactions.
Her son, Giovanni, a 14-year-old from Lynbrook, died in 2014 after suffering anaphylaxis while help was minutes away. New York has since authorized police officers to carry EpiPens, but advocates say that access remains inconsistent, expensive, and dependent on individual departments’ budgets.
Cornago, visiting Capitol Hill for the first time on Nov. 20, said the moment felt larger than anything she had imagined after 12 years of work.
“I never would have imagined that it was going to be a national bill,” she said.
Gio’s Law, introduced by Gillen and Republican Long Island Rep. Andrew Garbarino, would create a federal grant program to help law enforcement agencies purchase epinephrine and secure training for officers.
Departments nationwide have struggled to afford the devices, which can cost up to $600 per single use set. The proposal also encourages expanded training in and awareness of emergency allergy response.
Gillen said that having Cornago present, and Giovanni’s photograph displayed in the hearing room, shifted the conversation from procedure to lived experience.
“I don’t expect that there will be too many no votes on such an important, noncontroversial bipartisan piece of legislation like this,” Gillen, who represents Wantagh, Seaford along with several other South Shore communities, said.
Her appearance before the Judiciary Committee counts as an official hearing, a required step before the bill can move to markup —to formally debate and amend — and then a potential full House vote. Gillen and Cornago spent the rest of the day meeting with lawmakers from both parties, urging the judiciary committee to advance the bill to a committee vote and then to the House floor.
Garbarino, who represents southeastern Nassau County along with portions of southwestern Suffolk said in a June press release announcing the legislation that it will make “sure first responders have what they need to save a life”
“This bill gives departments the resources to equip officers with epi-pens and provide the training they need to use them,” Garbarino said. “I’m proud to co-lead this commonsense legislation to establish Gio’s Law nationwide and help prevent another tragedy like the one that took Gio’s life.”
Lynbrook, where Giovanni grew up, was one of the first communities in New York to equip its police officers with EpiPens after his death.
Following her son’s death, Cornago led efforts in 2019 to pass Gio’s Law statewide. It authorizes certain New York emergency service providers to be trained to treat anaphylaxis and carry EpiPens in their vehicles.
The law previously mandated EpiPen training and stocking for first responders in counties with populations of less than 1 million, but it was recently expanded to counties with populations of up to 2 million — which means it could have been implemented in Nassau County. Police department ambulances in Nassau County are equipped with EpiPens, but patrol cars aren’t — and by putting them there, the lifesaving care could be more accessible in emergencies.
Last year, Nassau County Legislator Seth Koslow introduced a bill that would require patrol vehicles to be equipped with EpiPens and require officers to be trained to administer them in emergencies. Suffolk County adopted Gio’s Law in 2023, Nassau County did not adopt Koslow’s proposed bill.
The federal proposal is intended to eliminate the financial hurdles that have slowed or limited adoption elsewhere. Police officers nationwide, Gillen said, should have the tools to respond the moment anaphylaxis begins — regardless of their ZIP code or department budget. Cornago, who began advocating for legislation after her son’s death so that “no other parent will feel what I felt.”
“It was a surreal experience,” she said.
Additional reporting by Luke Feeney
