If you have been watching the news lately you probably have seen a story
about peanut free zones on airplanes.   This past July the Department of
Transportation sent a notice (policy directive) to airliners requesting
them to follow the guidelines under the Air Carrier Access Act.   Now
the Senate Appropriations Committee has put forth a "policy Directive"
to reverse those guidelines.  Currently S. Con. 117 introduced by
Senator Richard Shelby (from Alabama a HUGE peanut producing state).

We need your help to notify your congressman (if you don't know who they
are look at www.house.gov)  to ask for them to take action that you have
a problem with their "policy directive".  Write a letter, call to follow
up and then let us know so we can follow up with that senator.

For a sample letter or more information email me privately and I will
give you a contact - a lobbiest and parent of a son who had a severe
reaction on an airplaine.

Also would like to collect stories of people who had a reaction on
airplanes due to peanuts.

Thanks for your help,  Paula Clark, WI Food Allergy Groups - parent to
parent positive solutions

Here is the current action taking place.......
SCON 117 IS

                                    105th CONGRESS

                                       2d Session

                                   S. CON. RES. 117

Expressing the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Transportation
should exercise reasonable judgment
in promulgating regulations relating to airline flights and should
rescind the directive to establish
peanut-free zones on airline flights.

                        IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                                 September 11, 1998

Mr. COVERDELL (for himself and Mr. SHELBY ) submitted the following
concurrent resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation



                             CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Transportation
should exercise reasonable judgment
in promulgating regulations relating to airline flights and should
rescind the directive to establish
peanut-free zones on airline flights.

Whereas policies of the Federal Government should recognize that the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention has determined that 1/10 of 1 percent of the population of
the United States is allergic to peanuts
;

Whereas the Secretary of Transportation has issued a directive to
establish peanut-free zones on domestic
airline flights;

Whereas establishing peanut-free zones is an excessive regulation to
that important problem;

Whereas that directive unfairly singles out 1 product while ignoring all
other allergens;

Whereas that directive subrogates the rights of the 99.9 percent of the
traveling public who are not allergic
to peanuts ;

Whereas the Secretary of Transportation states in that directive that
the only danger to allergenic passengers
is accidental ingestion of peanuts ;

Whereas establishing a precedent for peanut-free zones in airplanes
might needlessly establish allergen-free
zones for all public transportation, including buses, trains, subways,
and cable cars; and

Whereas the Secretary of Transportation should rescind the directive
that requires major United States air
carriers to reserve up to 3 rows on airplanes for people who are
allergic to peanuts : Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
That it is the sense of Congress
    that the Secretary of Transportation should rescind the directive
pertaining to peanut-free zones on
    airline flights.