Gage’s Law unanimously passed the Florida House and Senate.
The legislation known as “Gage’s Law” was sponsored by Boca Raton State Senator Tina Polsky and Orlando State Representative Rita Harris, both Democrats, and passed both the Florida House and Senate with unanimous support. The bill now heads to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
Gage’s Law will require hospitals to test for fentanyl in cases of suspected overdose or poisoning, ensuring consistent, lifesaving care across the state. The bill is named in memory of Gage Austin Taylor, a bright young man whose life was cut tragically short in 2022 after unknowingly consuming a substance laced with fentanyl.
This bill will require hospitals and campus emergency departments to test for fentanyl as part of any urine testing they conduct to treat individuals for possible drug overdose or poisoning. The bill also requires follow up testing if test results are positive and requires the results of such tests and screenings to be preserved as part of the patient’s clinical record.
Gage’s Law will equip healthcare workers and law enforcement with the tools to detect and combat this epidemic, ensuring that communities across Florida are better protected to stop the deadly spread of fentanyl before it claims more lives.
“Fentanyl tears apart communities by claiming lives too soon, leaving families shattered and filling Florida families with grief and helplessness,” Democratic Senator Tina Polsky said. “I have been honored to work with Representative Harris, Gage’s mother Gretchin, and countless other advocates to pass Gage’s Law, which takes the next step in combating the ongoing fentanyl crisis.”
With Florida having the second-highest number of fentanyl-related deaths in the nation, this legislation is a life-saving response to a crisis that claimed nearly 5,000 lives in 2022 alone.
“I am grateful for the passage of Gage’s Law, a bill that will make a difference and save lives. This policy will equip hospitals with the guidance they need to treat Fentanyl overdoses, while giving law enforcement the tools to hold those who lace substances with fentanyl accountable, all in the honor of those we’ve lost due to this crisis,” said Representative Rita Harris, an Orlando Democrat.
With the bill now awaiting Governor Ron DeSantis’ signature, its passage would make an immediate impact when it takes effect on July 1st, 2025. View HB 1195/SB 1346 online.
