SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- To help stop heroin overdose deaths in Illinois, state Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, voted this week to override Governor Rauner's veto of legislation to get potentially lifesaving treatments for heroin overdoses into the hands of people who lack health care coverage.
"Thousands of Illinois families have been damaged by this heroin epidemic, and we can do more to keep people alive and to save them from this tragic addiction," Smiddy said. "As a parent, I'm concerned that current policies don't provide first responders the resources they need to save lives, and the ones most often hurt are young people."
Smiddy helped pass House Bill 1, the Heroin Crisis Act, which is designed to address heroin abuse in Illinois by expanding prescription take-back initiatives and treatment programs for offenders. Additionally, the new law requires first responders to carry a new drug which can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose.
A study by the Center for Disease Control reported that heroin overdoses in the United States doubled within a two-year span to 2013, while Illinois' overdose also deaths increased between 2013 and 2014.
The governor vetoed the portion of the proposal providing insurance coverage for emergency care. Smiddy joined a bipartisan group of legislators in the General Assembly to override the Governor's veto on Wednesday.
"This piece of legislation will ultimately save the lives of those who would otherwise be unable to receive the help they need," Smiddy added. "The new law is a good first step to reduce drug abuse and make our communities safer for our children."
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