Local State Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) passed legislation out of the House Public Health Committee dealing with Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, or SUDEP last week.
SUDEP is the unexpected death of an otherwise healthy person with epilepsy, typically occurring during or after a seizure, often in their sleep.
SUDEP is considered rare, affecting about one in 1,000 adults with epilepsy annually, but it is the leading cause of epilepsy-related death. The legislation now goes before the full House for consideration.
The bill was originally sponsored in the Illinois Senate by local State Sen. Neil Anderson (R-Andalusia).