Tyler’s Law: A Mother’s Fight Against Fentanyl Overdoses

In 2018, Juli Shamash lost her 19-year-old son, Tyler, to a fentanyl overdose. Unaware of the drug’s presence until a toxicology report arrived five months later, Shamash has since championed Tyler’s Law to mandate fentanyl testing in hospital emergency rooms. “I would like for my son’s legacy to be saving people,” she told GovTrack.

At the state level, Shamash’s advocacy has seen success. California unanimously passed Tyler’s Law in 2022, requiring hospitals to test for fentanyl. Maryland followed in 2023 with the Josh Siems Act, and Virginia and Florida enacted similar laws, all unanimously. Pennsylvania’s version passed with some opposition, citing costs and potential punitive use of test results.

Federally, Tyler’s Law faces challenges. Introduced in 2023 by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and then-Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV), it gained bipartisan cosponsors but stalled without a committee hearing. Reintroduced in 2025 with Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) leading the Senate version, it has fewer cosponsors than before. A recent House committee vote to include it in a larger opioid bill tied 24-24, with Republicans opposing due to lack of prior hearings, despite supporting the policy’s intent.

Supporters, including Lieu and Banks, argue the law addresses a critical gap, as fentanyl is the leading cause of U.S. drug overdoses. Critics, like Pennsylvania’s Rep. Tim Twardzik, worry about hospital costs, while Rep. Tarik Khan fears test results could be used punitively.

Shamash persists, lobbying Congress and raising awareness through her Drug Awareness Foundation. Her efforts have already saved lives, like those of two California infants in 2024, whose fentanyl exposure was detected due to Tyler’s Law. She remains determined to make fentanyl testing a national standard.

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