Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ted Lieu (33 District of California)
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles County), Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH), and Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) introduced Tyler’s Law, bipartisan legislation designed to prevent fentanyl overdoses in the United States. This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to complete a study on how frequently hospitals test for fentanyl when a patient is experiencing an overdose. Based on these results, the bill instructs HHS to issue guidance to hospitals on implementing fentanyl testing in emergency rooms. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) plan to introduce companion legislation in the Senate.
Still to this day, many emergency rooms do not include fentanyl in their drug screenings. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that does not show up on most rapid drug testing, which typically only includes marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and phencyclidine (PCP). According to HHS, fentanyl-related deaths have skyrocketed 103-fold in the United States from 1999–2023. Adding fentanyl testing to emergency room drug screenings could save countless lives.
Tyler’s Law is named in memory of Tyler Shamash, a 19-year-old boy who died following a fentanyl ingestion in 2018. He was not tested for fentanyl after being brought to the hospital with a suspected overdose. His mother, Juli, is an advocate for this legislation and is sharing Tyler’s story to prevent others from experiencing the same tragedy.
“The night before Tyler died from consuming fentanyl, he was sent to the hospital with a suspected overdose,” said Tyler’s mother, Juli. “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.”
“Fentanyl is the leading cause of drug overdoses in the US and hospitals must test for it,” said Congressman Lieu. “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.”
“Illicit fentanyl and its analogs have claimed countless American lives, and we must continue to do everything we can to curb this deadly epidemic,” said Congressman Latta. “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.”
“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,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. “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.”
“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,” said Senator Padilla. “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.”
“Too many families in Indiana and across America have lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning,” said Senator Banks. “Tyler’s Law will help prevent these tragedies by requiring 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.”
Tyler’s Law is supported by:
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,” said Alison J. Haddock, MD, FACEP, President of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). “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.”
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,” said ENA President Ryan Oglesby, PhD, MHA, RN, CEN, CFRN, NEA-BC. “Thank you to Reps. Lieu, Latta, and Kamlager-Dove, and Sens. Banks and Padilla for your leadership on this important bill.”
“Given fentanyl’s near ubiquity in the United States’ illicit opioid supply, it is imperative that emergency rooms include it in standard drug screenings provided to consenting patients who have experienced an overdose,” said Drew Gibson, Director of Advocacy at AIDS United. “For both medical professionals and people who use drugs, an accurate understanding of the drugs patients use is essential to effective overdose prevention. If passed, Tyler’s Law could be a significant step towards ensuring that both hospital emergency department staff and people who use drugs are equipped with the information they need to prevent future fentanyl overdoses and to save lives.”
Full list of supporting organizations: American College of Emergency Physicians, Emergency Nurses Association, AIDS United, The National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association, The Partnership for a Healthy Iowa, Facing Fentanyl, Voices for Awareness, Project Eli, Song for Charlie, End Overdose, High Truths on Drugs and Addiction, Sun Shine on You Foundation, Drug Awareness Foundation, VOID, Crime Stoppers of Houston, Victoria’s Voice, and Stop Drug Homicide.