Missouri lawmaker introduces Fentanyl Response Bill following Grassroots Advocacy

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

A Missouri lawmaker has introduced legislation aimed at strengthening the state’s response to fentanyl poisonings, following months of advocacy by families and community organizers affected by drug-related deaths.

House Bill 3113, sponsored by Rep. Ann Kelley, was recently introduced in the Missouri House and referred to the Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs. The bill focuses on overdose prevention, public education, and changes to how drug-related deaths are investigated statewide.

In a recent social media post, Missouri advocate Laura Woody said she began working with Kelley after the lawmaker and Rep. Bradley Pollitt visited a fentanyl awareness booth during the Black Walnut Festival last September.

According to Woody’s post, the legislators stopped by the Cedar County and Surrounding Areas Fentanyl Awareness and Poisoning Prevention booth, where advocates discussed the illicit fentanyl crisis, which she said claims more than 100,000 American lives each year. Woody also referenced the work of Lost Voices of Fentanyl Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, and Drug Induced Homicide Inc., which advocates for criminal accountability in drug-related deaths.

“They listened, they cared, and they wanted to do something about it,” Woody wrote.

Woody said she has worked with Kelley and her staff for several weeks on HB 3113, which she said includes provisions to expand public access to naloxone, designate October as “Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month” in Missouri, and require fentanyl awareness and substance-use prevention education in schools.

The legislation also calls for mandatory training for law enforcement on investigating drug poisonings and directs agencies to conduct criminal homicide investigations in drug-related deaths rather than classifying them as accidents, according to Woody’s post.

Woody wrote that she hopes the bill advances through the General Assembly and reaches Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk, where it could be considered as part of broader public safety efforts, including initiatives related to safer schools and communities.

“It has been an honor to work with Ann Kelley on this bill,” Woody wrote, adding that the legislation represents meaningful progress for families who have lost children to fentanyl poisonings. “There are no words to adequately express how much it means to be heard and to know someone cares.”

In her post, Woody acknowledged that families affected by fentanyl deaths cannot undo their losses but said they remain committed to prevention.

“We can’t bring our children back,” she wrote. “But we fight to save the living. We fight to prevent further loss and destruction of lives in Missouri.”

To learn more information, you can join Lost Voices Of Fentanyl Inc., 501c3, our partners – Drug Induced Homicide Inc., or my local awareness group, Cedar County and Surrounding Areas Fentanyl Awareness/Poisoning Prevention.