Republican-led fentanyl bill advances in moves to third reading in Illinois House
Outside of his time in Springfield, state Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, serves as an anesthesiologist and emergency physician in Peoria. The representative's practice often has him on the frontline of a growing problem nationwide and in Illinois: the opioid epidemic.
Illinois Department of Public Health officials point to a surge in synthetic drugs such as fentanyl for driving an increase in opioid overdose deaths. Data from IDPH shows synthetic opioid deaths have increased by 2,736% since 2013 and caused nearly 2,500 deaths in 2020.
Responding to overdoses often requires the use of emergency medication treatment such as naloxone, which Hauter said is not always enjoyed by those overdosing.
"So many times, in the emergency department, we see somebody that we've saved their life and they couldn't be more angry at us for withdrawing them from their narcotic," he said. "They never want to have Narcan (brand name for naloxone) again because it withdraws them immediately."
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Through a bill advancing in the Illinois House, Hauter hopes the interactions and overdoses will be reduced.
On Thursday, Hauter and fellow Republicans joined House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna to discuss House Bill 3203. The bill would allow pharmacists and retailers to sell over-the-counter fentanyl test strips that check for the presence of fentanyl or fentanyl analogs in a controlled substance.
County health departments also would be permitted to distribute the strips free of charge. The measure has received bipartisan support from Democrats.
“This bill will help save lives,” said McCombie. “Fentanyl is a deadly drug that is taking far too many lives and as we continue to take steps to address the opioid epidemic affecting Illinois families, our priority with this legislation is to single out fentanyl.”
McCombie was grateful for the bipartisan support on the bill, although noted that was not the case for her other fentanyl-related piece of legislation.
House Bill 3210 would amend the Illinois Controlled Substances Act and calls for increased penalties for those selling any scheduled drug containing fentanyl or using a form of electronic communication in an effort to support its transaction.
Anyone caught selling would face a prison term ranging from nine to 40 years or a fine not exceeding $250,000, while those using an electronic device could be fined up to $100,000. The bill was referred to the House Rules Committee, never moving beyond the first reading, and will not see any voting action McCombie said.
State Sen. Sally Turner, R-Beason, introduced an identical version of the bill with Senate Bill 73 and also has not had any votes. She attempted to pass the same bill in a previous General Assembly.
Several bills on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers have been filed, including House Bill 1121 from state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago. The bill passed in its third reading earlier this week in a unanimous fashion and allows any trained overdose responder to use a drug adulterant testing supply.
The responder has to be enrolled in the Drug Overdose Prevention Program, which is administered by the Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery.
McCombie is a co-sponsor of Guzzardi's bill, while the Democrat also backs the bill from the Republican leader. She is hopeful similar efforts to reach across the aisle will become more commonplace. more efforts like these will be made in both chambers to reach across the aisle in the matter.
"I'm going to guess that everyone in this room knows someone or some family that has been affected by this drug," she said. "So, it's real and we have to get ahead of it. We are behind schedule on stopping this."
March 24 is the deadline to advance bills in the House out of third reading.
Contact Patrick Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Republican-led fentanyl bill advances in Illinois House
