Capito, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Help Americans Get Help for Opioid Overdoses

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), recently cosponsored the bipartisan Samaritan Efforts to Ensure Key Health Emergency and Life-saving Protections (SEEK HELP) Act. The legislation, which was led by U.S. Senators John Kennedy (R-La.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), would provide Americans with life-saving treatment during an opioid overdose.

"The SEEK HELP Act will help prevent future opioid overdose deaths by changing the law to encourage good Samaritans to step in and help," Ranking Member Capito said. "As Ranking Member of the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, I will continue to advocate for policies that help fight the opioid crisis at every level and put all West Virginians and Americans on a path to reaching their full potential."

The SEEK HELP Act would:

• Create civil liability protections for individuals who administer an opioid reversal drug.
• Offer criminal immunity to an individual who seeks medical help for someone experiencing an opioid overdose.
• Require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out a public awareness campaign about these liability protections to encourage more Americans to get medical assistance when experiencing a drug overdose.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

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