Garcia Wilburn celebrates harm reduction bill passing key hurdle

House Bill 1167, which would reduce opioid overdoses by decriminalizing fentanyl test strips, passed a key hurdle yesterday in passing out of the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law.

During the 2024 legislative session, State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers), HB 1167's co-author, advanced HB 1053 (2024) out of the Indiana House of Representatives. HB 1053 would have accomplished the same policy objective as HB 1167 (2025), but the bill did not receive a Senate committee hearing, thus killing it.

As HB 1167's co-author, Garcia Wilburn celebrated this year's harm reduction effort clearing the hurdle that kept last year's bill from becoming law:

"Make no mistake, House Bill 1167 will save lives. While Indiana has reduced our overdose death rates in the past few years, we are still losing beloved Hoosier lives to fatal overdoses, and we can do better.

"Many in the district have shared their heartbreaking stories of losing their loved ones. I am proud to champion this legislation and am thrilled we are one step closer than last year to making this policy change become law. I urge the Indiana State Senate to finish the job so we can support the behavioral health and public safety professionals working to keep Hoosiers safe from the tragedy of overdoses."

Now that HB 1167 has passed out of Senate committee, it is eligible for amendments and final passage before the full state Senate.