Rep. Kenneth A. Marshall (D-Dist. 68, Bristol, Warren) has introduced legislation that extends protections under the Good Samaritan Overdose Protection Act to reach underage people involved in reporting alcohol-related emergencies.

Currently confined to drug-related overdoses, the bill aims to eliminate a factor that discourages people from getting medical help in alcohol-related, life-threatening circumstances. Immunity from legal repercussions that would otherwise occur from the possession or transportation of alcohol by an underage person would serve to encourage Rhode Island’s youth to report a life at risk to alcohol overdose, Rep. Marshall said.

“This bill is about preventing the deaths of teenagers. When a life is in danger, no one should need to weigh that life against their own possible legal consequences. The stakes of not passing this have already been realized.”

Currently, 35 states provide legal immunity for underage persons seeking medical help for a feared alcohol overdose. The law was borne in part from the death of Timothy J. Piazza, a Penn State University student who died as a result of hazing and failure to report. This case has a direct tie to the East Bay — a 19-year-old Barrington native was among 18 fraternity brothers charged in Mr. Piazza’s death.

“That boy didn’t have to die, and many more wouldn’t carry the burden they do if that situation went differently," Rep. Marshall said.