Rep. Lieu Introduces Bipartisan Tyler’s Law to Push for Routine Fentanyl Testing in ERs
Tyler’s Law is currently in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce after a subcommittee approved it on June 24, 2026. The full committee must now decide whether to review the bill. While it moved forward in June 2026, most bills do not receive a committee vote and often stall at this stage.
This bill has strong support from both parties and addresses a clear gap in medical testing during a major national health crisis.
This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.
Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 6600 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 6600 (118th) →Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Medicaid covers a large share of overdose-related emergency room visits. If federal guidance leads hospitals to adopt routine fentanyl testing, Medicaid programs could face modestly higher costs for the additional tests, but beneficiaries could see better health outcomes through more accurate overdose treatment. The bill's study would examine these cost tradeoffs.
“the costs associated with such testing for fentanyl”
Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 46 - 0.
The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Sens. Alex Padilla and Jim Banks reintroduced 'Tyler’s Law,' directing HHS to provide guidance on implementing fentanyl testing in routine ER drug screens. The bill honors Tyler Shamash, who died after a standard hospital drug test failed to detect the synthetic opioid in his system.
While fentanyl is the leading cause of drug deaths, many hospital emergency rooms still use standard drug panels that do not detect it. This investigative report highlights the medical gap that Tyler’s Law seeks to close by standardizing testing protocols across the country.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Tyler’s Law
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