Tyler’s Law
Rep. Lieu Introduces Bipartisan Tyler’s Law to Push for Routine Fentanyl Testing in ERs
Tyler’s Law is currently being reviewed by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce after a subcommittee approved it. The bill is actively moving through the early stages of the legislative process. There are no specific dates set for the next steps at this time.
Legislative Progress
This bill has strong support from both parties and addresses a clear gap in medical testing during a major national health crisis.
Key Points
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Programs
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”
Disabilities
Milestones
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
2 articles
Nearly seven years after Tyler Shamash died, a bill named for him gets renewed focus on Capitol Hill
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.
Fentanyl accounts for a majority of fatal overdoses. But ERs aren’t testing for it.
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.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Tyler’s Law
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(59)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.