Op-Eds from Mike

Having both served in state and local government, we know first-hand the impacts of the fentanyl epidemic in the Hudson Valley.

Substance use disorder and fentanyl are ripping families and communities apart across the country, and it is incumbent on all of us to work together, in a coordinated effort at the federal, state and local level, to put a stop to this deadly scourge.

At the federal level, Congressman Lawler has been taking this fight head on, supporting legislation like the Protecting Kids from Fentanyl Act of 2023, which would provide funding to schools to purchase naloxone and other lifesaving medication and equipment, to the Fentanyl Kills Act, the congressman’s own bill, which would charge those who knowingly traffic fentanyl with attempted murder, to the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which the congressman highlighted with Sen. Gillibrand just two weeks ago in Philipstown, which would impose sanctions on criminal organizations and individuals guilty of trafficking fentanyl.

These pieces of legislation, along with others that tackle fentanyl at the source and at the border, will be critical in winning this battle at the federal level.

At the state level, Assemblyman Slater has already introduced and co-sponsored three pieces of legislation that will help tackle the fentanyl crisis. The first of these bills expands medical care and access to children who are impacted by a parent’s dependence on fentanyl or other opioids. The second measure would force the commissioner of health to study new opioids and their impacts on New Yorkers, helping identify ways to combat the crisis at the state level. The third bill would hold fentanyl traffickers accountable for exposing our brave and heroic first responders, law enforcement officers and corrections officers to fentanyl.

This summer, working in partnership with Putnam County District Attorney Bob Tendy, Slater is also introducing legislation that would allow local prosecutors to charge drug dealers with causing the death of another person when they deal drugs that cause an overdose from fentanyl.

All of these bills would markedly improve our position in taking on the fentanyl crisis, but they must be paired with expanded funding for local recovery organizations and law enforcement. We pledge to continue to work to deliver the necessary resources to those combatting this crisis on the local level.

Together, we can break the stigma associated with substance use disorder, hold those who peddle dangerous poisons accountable and provide the necessary tools, equipment and funding for local organizations and law enforcement to help save lives.

Let us never give up in this fight, and may we all be successful in our efforts in fighting this scourge.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River) represents the 17th Congressional District. Assemblyman Matt Slater (R-Yorktown) represents the 94th Assembly District.