March 24: Sen. Jim Banks’ Tyler’s Law for routine ER fentanyl testing passes Senate - Senator Jim Banks (.gov)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On March 23, Tyler’s Law, a bill introduced in 2025 by Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., passed the Senate unanimously. This bill directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide hospitals with guidance on implementing fentanyl testing in routine emergency room drug screens. The bill is named after Tyler Shamash, a California teenager who died from a fentanyl poisoning after doctors failed to test for the drug when he was admitted to the emergency room the previous day. Banks said in the announcement, “Too many families in Indiana and across the country have lost loved ones to fentanyl. Tyler’s Law will help prevent these tragedies by requiring ERs to screen for fentanyl so patients can get life-saving care faster. I’m grateful to Tyler’s mother, Juli, for leading this effort to make testing the national standard.”