Representative Martin introduced House Bill 10 84, a limited grant program to reimburse local education agencies, charter schools, private schools and first responders for approved anti‑choking devices; the House Health Subcommittee voted unanimously to advance the bill to the full Health Committee.

The bill authorizes up to $500,000 in reimbursements from July of the current year through July 2028 and directs the Department of Health to promulgate rules identifying eligible devices and to administer the program. Under the bill as presented, schools may purchase one device per cafeteria and first responders such as fire and EMS may purchase one device per vehicle.

Rob Cresswell of Chattanooga addressed the committee as a private citizen and described a personal family tragedy. “My brother and his wife were in a restaurant in Chattanooga and Greg, he choked on a piece of steak,” Cresswell said. He recounted that Greg lost consciousness, was later declared brain dead and died five days after the incident. Cresswell said he then learned about a suction-based device, identified in testimony as LifeVac, and later founded a 501(c)(3) called Greg O2 to distribute the devices locally.

Cresswell told the committee his group has placed more than 2,200 devices in Hamilton County and nearby schools and that the devices have been placed in police cars and restaurants in the county. He stated that the device’s manufacturer told him the product “had never lost anybody” and that it had “saved over 4,000 people,” and he said, “The Heimlich maneuver is about 63% effective and, this anti token device is 100% effective.” Those efficacy claims were made by the witness and attributed to the manufacturer in testimony; the committee did not introduce independent verification during the hearing.

Representative McKenzie and Representative Mitchell asked about how to respond to choking incidents and the per-unit cost. Cresswell said his group places the device in an acrylic box mounted on a wall to keep it visible and that the box and device together cost about $70. He also described guidance posted at grego2.org and referenced Red Cross-approved techniques such as back slaps and the Heimlich maneuver as complementary emergency actions.

The clerk recorded “8 ayes, 0 nays,” and the chairman announced the bill would move to the full Health Committee.