Legislation addressing fentanyl crisis in Virginia draws bipartisan support

Two bills aimed at addressing the fentanyl crisis in the General Assembly are headed for a vote after gaining bipartisan support in the House and Senate.  

HB2774 tackles parental notification after an overdose on school grounds, while HB2657 creates stricter accountability measures for fentanyl distributors. 

“Fentanyl doesn’t discriminate,” said the patron of HB2657 Del. Josh Thomas, D-Prince William, in a press conference Thursday. “This crisis affects entire communities, and our laws should reflect that.”

This legislation would classify knowingly selling fentanyl that leads to a death as manslaughter. A related Senate bill patroned by Sen. Ryan T. McDougle, R-Mechanicsville, classifies that as felony murder, but limits the victim class to minors.

Thomas clarified that his bill widens the victim class to include all groups that are victims of fentanyl overdose. 

“We are taking the steps to protect our communities and sending a very, very clear message, that this stops now,” said Thomas. 

The bill passed the House 98-1 and has been referred to the Senate Court of Justice. 

Del. JJ Singh, D-Loudoun, is the patron of HB2774, which requires schools to notify parents within 24 hours if an overdose occurs on school grounds. 

“This issue transcends politics – this is about our kids, our families, and our communities,” Singh said. 

According to Singh, draft guidelines issued by the Department of Education only expect schools to notify parents after a confirmed overdose, which Singh said “could take months, if confirmation comes at all.”

The proposed law would require schools to notify parents at the earliest information or after the administration of an opioid antagonist treatment, such as naloxone, also commonly known as Narcan. The bill passed in the House with bipartisan support, 97-0. The legislation has now been referred to the Committee on Education and Health in the Senate. 

“Now I urge the Senate and the Governor to act, to take this important step in addressing the fentanyl crisis, making our community safer.” said Singh. 

According to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, drug overdose is the leading cause of unnatural death in Virginia, and deaths from fentanyl overdoses have grown over 20-times since 2013. 

Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration created several initiatives tackling the fentanyl epidemic during his term, including the Right Help, Right Now initiative and the One Pill Can Kill Campaign. In 2023, he issued Executive Order 28, which required the Virginia Department of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction to notify parents within 24-hours of a school-connected student overdose and provide guidelines and information to help schools and law enforce prevent student overdoses.