Texas Senate approves bill that would let prosecutors pursue murder charges in some fentanyl deaths

House Bill 6 has widespread bipartisan support and is one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s priorities. The legislation now heads back to the lower chamber.

Texans who provide someone with a fatal dose of fentanyl could face a murder charge under a bill the Texas Senate advanced Tuesday. As part of the Legislature’s war on opioids, House Bill 6 would classify overdoses from fentanyl as “poisonings.”

The bill passed in a 30-1 vote.

Gov. Greg Abbott made combating opioid overdose deaths a key issue this session. HB 6 and its companion bill, Senate Bill 645, could effectively increase the penalties related to the sale and production of fentanyl.

To view the full story, visit https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/16/texas-fentanyl-murder-legislature/