THIMESCH & FRAZIER FILE LEGISLATION TO FIGHT DEADLY FENTANYL EPIDEMIC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 8, 2023
Contact: Ruth Mesta
State Representatives Kronda Thimesch and Frederick Frazier
File Legislation to Fight Deadly Fentanyl Epidemic
(Austin, TX) – State Representative Kronda Thimesch, joined by State Representative Frederick Frazier, filed legislation that would support law enforcement and district attorneys across Texas in their fight against the deadly fentanyl epidemic. House Bill 1581 makes the delivery of a controlled substance causing serious bodily injury, a second degree felony, and the delivery of a controlled substance causing death, a first degree felony.
Current statute makes death or serious bodily injury only an enhancement to the charge of delivery of a controlled substance. The enhancement, and the charges that come along with it, are contingent on the amount of drugs present in the person's bloodstream at the time an autopsy is performed. HB 1581 creates a standalone charge and would create a clearer path for prosecutors to successfully press charges when fentanyl is a factor in an injury or death.
"With the recent arrest of two dealers distributing fentanyl pills in Carrollton -- actions which allegedly have caused death to three teens and injury to seven more -- the need has never been more urgent," said Rep. Thimesch. "The State of Texas must provide statutory support to our local police and criminal court system to end this devastating crisis."
Last week, a federal affidavit was filed in U.S. District Court identifying a dangerous ring of drug distribution that infiltrated a Carrollton high school. 10 students overdosed and three died between September 2022 and February 2023 from pills containing fentanyl. The growing fentanyl crisis in our state continues to have devastating effects with the number of overdoses every year growing exponentially.
"We need to give law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to put dangerous criminals behind bars. Every day Texans are dying from fentanyl-related overdoses. This bill helps us take on the cartels who are killing our children," said Rep. Frazier.
Kronda Thimesch represents District 65 in the Texas House of Representatives, which encompasses 20 communities in Denton County and stretches from its eastern to western border. Frederick Frazier represents District 61 in the Texas House of Representatives which encompasses seven cities in as well as unincorporated portions of Collin County.
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