OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington State Senate Minority Leader John Braun (R) responded to three fentanyl overdoses involving small children on Friday.
The string of overdoses took place over four days starting on April 20. One of the overdoses due to fentanyl exposure resulted in the death of a 13-month-old on Wednesday according to the Everett Fire Department.
Braun slammed Washington Democrats, citing the failure of a Republican-backed policy which would have added additional criminal penalties for a child being exposed to fentanyl.
“The chair of the House’s Community Safety, Justice and Reentry Committee wouldn’t even grant it a hearing, despite repeated calls to do so. He claimed that not one of the 58 Democrats in the House would vote for it,” Braun said.
NonStop Local has reached out to the chairman of that committee and will update this article with his response.
Braun went on to pitch his party’s public safety platform to voters.
“It’s decisions like that which make people question the ability of Democrats to lead on public safety issues…I sincerely hope House Democrats take notice of these latest infant overdoses,” Braun said.
A bill sponsored by Braun designating funding to address the opioid epidemic in tribal communities was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee (D) on March 19 with bipartisan support.
An additional policy requiring fentanyl education in Washington schools passed with unanimous support and was signed into law that same day.
