Health Policy & Advocacy Committee

Indiana and Maryland become first states to pass sunscreen law in 2018.

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association introduced model sunscreen legislation in 2016.  The program and model bill are dubbed SUNucate and the purpose is to allow children to bring sunscreen to school without a doctor’s prescription or note. Because sunscreen is classified as an over-the-counter drug by the FDA, children in many school districts across the country are required to bring a prescription from a physician in order to possess or use sunscreen at their school or camp.

To date, nine states have been successful in getting their bills passed. Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Utah, and Washington passed legislation in 2017. So far in 2018, Indiana and Maryland passed bills.

DNA members have been involved in advocating for this legislation. If your state has a bill in the pipeline we urge you to get involved.  If your state is not among the active ones and you would like to learn how to go about getting a bill introduced, the Health Policy and Advocacy Committee can help guide you.  Contact the Chair, Maura Flynn or any of the members via email at: dna@dnanurse.org

You may track news and progress by following the SUNucate blog at: https://sunucate.org/