SEEK HELP Act

Key Points

• This bill creates "Good Samaritan" rules at the federal level to save lives during drug emergencies. It protects people from being sued if they give overdose-reversal medicine to someone in need. It also prevents the government from charging someone with drug possession if the police only found out about the drugs because the person called for help.
• The policy affects anyone who witnesses or experiences a drug overdose. Currently, many people are afraid to call 911 because they fear being arrested or sued. This law aims to remove that fear so that bystanders focus on getting medical help immediately instead of worrying about legal consequences.
• To make sure the law works, the government would launch a public awareness campaign. This would teach the public and police officers about these new protections. States would also be allowed to use federal grant money to train emergency workers and track whether these laws are successfully reducing overdose deaths in their communities.
• There are important limits to these protections. They do not stop the police from arresting someone who has an active warrant or is committing other serious crimes. Additionally, the law does not protect people who act with extreme recklessness or intentionally try to cause harm while pretending to help.