WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Senators Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced Tyler’s Law, which directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide hospitals with guidance on implementing fentanyl testing in routine emergency room drug screens. The bill is named after Tyler Shamash, a teenager who died from a fentanyl poisoning after doctors failed to test for the drug when he was admitted to the emergency room the previous day. Representatives Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio), and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) introduced a companion bill in the House.
Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.): “Too many families in Indiana and across America have lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning. Tyler’s Law will help prevent these tragedies by directing emergency rooms to screen for fentanyl, ensuring overdose victims receive timely, life-saving care. I thank Tyler’s mother, Juli, for championing this legislation to make fentanyl testing a national standard.”
Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.): “The fentanyl crisis isn’t just a public health emergency — it’s a matter of life and death for communities in California and across the country,” Far too many people, including children, have tragically died from fentanyl overdoses, including Tyler Shamash, a Los Angeles teenager whose hospital screening tests failed to detect the drug in his system. Our bipartisan legislation honors Tyler’s memory by bringing California’s updated standard of including fentanyl in emergency room screenings to the federal level. Even one preventable death is too many.”
Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-36): “Fentanyl is the leading cause of drug overdoses in the US and hospitals must test for it. I have been honored to work with Tyler’s mom, Juli, on this bipartisan legislation to ensure no other family experiences such a devastating tragedy. It is shocking that some hospitals do not include fentanyl testing for patients experiencing an overdose. Many physicians may not even be aware that the routine tests they run do not detect fentanyl. Tyler’s Law will help better equip our doctors and hospitals to prevent fentanyl-related deaths. It’s time to come together and save lives.”
Rep. Bob Latta (OH-5): “Illicit fentanyl and its analogs have claimed countless American lives, and we must continue to do everything we can to curb this deadly epidemic. That’s why I’m proud to introduce Tyler’s Law, which will help us better understand fentanyl overdoses and the fentanyl overdose testing shortfalls occurring in hospital emergency rooms. I urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to support this vital, bipartisan legislation which will help save lives.”
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37): “No one should ever experience the heartbreak of losing a loved one to a fentanyl overdose, nor should anyone have to question whether that death could have been prevented. In 2018, my constituent, Tyler Shamash, tragically lost his life to an overdose because fentanyl was not included in the emergency room’s drug screening. Tyler’s Law aims to save countless lives by ensuring that overdose victims can receive critical care before it’s too late. I am deeply grateful to have met Tyler’s mother, Juli, whose strength and tireless advocacy led to California’s requirement for emergency rooms to include fentanyl in their drug screenings. Now, we must take the next step and make fentanyl testing a nationwide standard by passing this lifesaving legislation.”
Juli Shamash, Mother of Tyler Shamash: “The night before Tyler died from consuming fentanyl, he was sent to the hospital with a suspected overdose. When he got there, they did a drug test and it turned out negative. After he died, we found out it did not cover fentanyl because it was a synthetic opioid. Had we known, we could have sent him to a place with a higher level of care, instead of the sober living home where he died. This bill will save lives in situations like Tyler’s, as well as in cases where people are brought into an ER for an overdose of one substance, but they unknowingly consumed fentanyl from a poisoned product. Currently, many drug screenings in emergency rooms only test for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and phencyclidine (PCP) – but not fentanyl. Many doctors are not aware that since fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, it does not show up on most rapid drug screenings. Adding fentanyl to routine drug screenings in emergency rooms could prevent many fentanyl-related deaths.”
Alison J. Haddock, MD, FACEP, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians: “Emergency physicians are on the frontlines of the opioid and substance use disorder crisis, and every day we witness the impact of overdose on our patients and their families. Illicit fentanyl has exacerbated the overdose crisis, and it is vital to ensure that emergency physicians are equipped with the necessary tools and resources to best treat and educate our patients as we help them on their path to recovery. We thank Representatives Lieu, Latta, and Kamlager-Dove, along with Senators Padilla and Banks, for their leadership in introducing Tyler’s Law.”
Ryan Oglesby, President, Emergency Nurses Association: “The opioid epidemic has long been a problem in emergency departments, and emergency nurses are often the first ones to start treatment when a patient overdoses. Testing for fentanyl as part of regular drug screenings in hospitals is a big step toward identifying fentanyl exposures earlier and providing patients and their families with this information so they can intervene and seek the correct treatment in a timely manner, which in turn will prevent future fentanyl overdoses. Thank you to Reps. Lieu, Latta, and Kamlager-Dove, and Sens. Banks and Padilla for your leadership on this important bill.”
Tyler’s Law would direct HHS to:
- Study Fentanyl Testing – HHS would assess current hospital emergency department fentanyl testing rates, costs, and benefits.
- Provide Guidance – HHS would issue recommendations for routine fentanyl testing in hospitals.
- Enhance Diagnosis & Treatment – The bill aims to improve fentanyl exposure diagnosis and guide prevention and treatment efforts.
Full bill text can be found here.
Background:
Senator Banks’ first Senate bill, the Countering Beijing’s Weaponization (CBW) of Fentanyl Act, seeks to amend the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991. The legislation would classify fentanyl and its precursors as chemical and biological weapons under U.S. law.
More on Tyler’s Law can be read here.