BATON ROUGE, LA – Louisiana Attorney
General Jeff Landry issued the following statement praising the Louisiana Senate for passing SB 145 – legislation that would quickly identify
individuals with substance use disorders who become involved in the criminal
justice system and hopefully provide early intervention and treatment:
“In
an overwhelming, bipartisan manner – the
Louisiana Senate voted to repair the damage
caused by the opioid epidemic and improve the safety of all our State's
citizens. By creating a Drug and Specialty Court fund in the state treasury –
Louisiana would be able to accept deposit of any compensation recovered from
opioid manufacturers, marketers, and sellers who stoked the fire of the
epidemic then disbursing those monies to state and local entities providing and
enabling treatment courts across our State. By working together, Republican and
Democrat – we are one step closer to investing the settlements, judgments, and
penalties recovered by our State as a result of the opioid crisis into saving
resources, lives, and families across Louisiana. I applaud the Senate for passing this common-sense legislation and
trust the House will soon follow their lead.”
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SB
145 unanimously passed the bipartisan Senate Judiciary C Committee last week.
It passed the full Senate today by a vote of 37-0.