May 1st, 2023, Harrisburg Pa – Today, The Pennsylvania Senate passed Senate Bill 165, Senator Tartaglione’s Safe Injection Site Ban by a vote of 41-9. Senate Bill 165 will now be sent to the House for their concurrence.
“Across this Commonwealth, Pennsylvanians are struggling with addiction,” said Senator Tartaglione. “When my community came to me asking me to introduce Senate Bill 165, I knew it was imperative to build a bipartisan coalition of senators from across Pennsylvania to support the bill. The vote today shows it doesn’t matter how rural or urban, liberal or conservative, or far east or far west your district is, addictions affect every square inch of Pennsylvania, and we need to prioritize recovery and sobriety.”
Senate Bill 165 will bring Pennsylvania in line with 21 U.S.C. Section 856, which already prohibits the act of maintaining drug-involved premises anywhere in the United States. The legislation will not impact other harm reduction efforts including clean needle exchanges and medication-assisted treatment.
Senator Tartaglione, who is in long-term recovery from an alcohol addiction reintroduced Senate Bill 165 this session after no action was taken on the legislation last session. Senator Tartaglione, who has been sober for more than 20 years, uses her experience with addiction and recovery as well as her connections in the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery space to help drive her legislative priorities.
Senate Bill 165 will now go to the Pennsylvania House for their concurrence.
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