HARRISBURG – A rally was held at the state Capitol in Harrisburg to call for action to address PA’s fentanyl and opioid overdose epidemic. Sen. Doug Mastriano has introduced Tyler’s Law, Senate Bill 1295, to impose stricter penalties on drug dealers who peddle fentanyl resulting in fatal overdoses. Those convicted would face a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison. The bill is named after Tyler Shanafelter, who lived in Mastriano’s district. Tyler died Oct. 10, 2020, after buying from a dealer what he thought was Percocet but was instead a deadly dose of fentanyl. Tyler’s mother, Laura Shanafelter urged passage of the bill. There were more than 100,000 fentanyl and opioid related deaths nationwide in 2021, a 15% increase from 2020. PA now ranks third in the nation for overdose deaths. In addition to Tyler’s Law, Mastriano is sponsoring Senate Bill 1152, to improve overdose mapping and response. The bill would require law enforcement and emergency medical services agencies to report all overdose incidents within 72 hours to the statewide Overdose Information Network.
