WNY woman takes one step closer to implementing ‘Beau’s Law’ in honor of her late cousin

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A new bill before the state Legislature aims to keep families together and young adults safe on college campuses.

Beau’s Bill requires each college to make public its policy relating to notifying the parent, guardian, or emergency contact of a student under the age of twenty-one of certain controlled substance violations or alcohol.

The bill’s namesake is Lockport native Beau Miller.

He died in spring 2022 from an accidental fentanyl overdose.

His family did not know that Beau suffered from addiction while in college.

Chat with a young woman who championed Beau’s Cousin bill, as she lends her voice to the thousands of families affected by addiction.

“When I first saw Beau’s Law on their website, I couldn’t stop crying,” said Alexa Friedman, founder of Accidental Angels.

It’s been a long process for Alexa Friedman and her family, but she now finds comfort knowing that her efforts to create a law in honor of her late cousin are paying off.

Friedman founded Accidental Angels, an organization that raises awareness about the dangers of fentanyl.

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It’s a drug that cost his cousin his life while he was at school.

This month, she learned that a bill she advocated to pass into law in New York, with the help of Assemblymember Karen McMahon, is now in Assembly committee.

Assembly Bill A10046 or Beau’s law has two parts:

It would require every college and institution of higher education to notify the parent, guardian, or emergency contact whenever a student under the age of 21 is cited for drug or alcohol violations, is hospitalized or overdoses on drugs or alcohol.

It would also require schools to conduct regular training on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

“Part of the reason we lost Beau is I think there was a misunderstanding with his school and the HIPAA regulations,” Friedman said. “If the school had told my aunt what was going on, he never would have died. I wouldn’t need to be here doing all this.”

She hopes to bridge the gap so that no other student has to go through what Beau went through.

Kassahun asked Friedman if Beau was here today and what she thought he would say to her after seeing her launch a bill on his behalf.

“He was a very nonchalant person. So he would say, ‘You know, it’s not that big of a deal,’ but it means a lot to my aunt and it means a lot to the rest of my family and they still have really struggling to deal with his loss, and even some days so am I, but the only reason I took on this role and led this operation is because they can’t and so I try to be strong for them,” she replied.

Friedman expects the bill to pass before the session ends on June 6.

Assemblyman McMahon released this statement to 7 News, regarding Assembly Bill A10046: