fentanyl Archives - SC Senate Republican Caucus

Senate Republicans Pass Fentanyl Murder Legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 26, 2025

SENATE REPUBLICANS PASS FENTANYL MURDER LEGISLATION

COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Wednesday, Republican Senators passed a landmark bill to combat fentanyl-induced homicides in South Carolina.

“We listened to families grieving lost children and to law enforcement officers asking for help,” said Senate President Thomas Alexander, author of Senate bill 156. “Adding the crime of fentanyl-induced homicide will get criminals off our streets and keep more parents from experiencing the heartbreak that too many in Oconee County and throughout the State have known.”

President Alexander’s bill charges drug-dealers who dispense fentanyl and cause death with ‘fentanyl-induced homicide’, a felony punishable by up to thirty years in prison.

“Drugs are wreaking havoc throughout our communities,” added Senator Brian Adams, a retired police officer from Berkeley County. “Too often, kids are getting their hands on drugs secretly laced with fentanyl, and the consequences are devastating. Senate bill 156 ensures bad actors are thrown in jail.”

The legislation follows Act 72 of 2023 which requires mandatory prison time for anyone convicted of trafficking fentanyl in South Carolina.

The bill heads next to the House of Representatives for consideration.

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Session-in-Review: Republican Victories for South Carolina

Session-in-Review: Republican Victories for South Carolina

The spring legislative session is over and it’s clear: Republican State Senators are getting things done. We instituted school-choice, reformed the healthcare system, ended the catch-and-release of violent criminals, cut taxes, and voted to protect innocent life. Week in and week out, Senate Republicans passed meaningful legislation, delivering on their promises to the people of South Carolina.

Education freedom took center stage from the outset. Republicans overcame a Democrat filibuster in January to make school choice a reality in South Carolina. But education freedom means more than just school choice; it means freedom from political indoctrination. Responding to the concerns of parents, Senate Republicans passed the Transparency and Integrity in Education Act, ensuring that objective facts, not subjective opinions about American history, shape the curriculum.

Republicans prioritized safe communities. The emergence of fentanyl, the catch-and-release of violent criminals, and the influence of foreign adversaries endanger our neighborhoods and law enforcement. We enacted legislation imposing harsh penalties on fentanyl trafficking and supported bond reform to close the revolving door of the justice system. Senate Republicans acted decisively to protect the State’s borders and passed Senate Bill 576, a bill by Majority Leader Shane Massey to prohibit foreign adversaries, like Russia and Communist China, from acquiring land in South Carolina. The bill awaits a hearing in the House.

Conservatives understand that big government limits freedom. That’s why Senate Republicans spent the spring busting bureaucracy and cutting through red tape. We split the enormous Department of Health and Environmental Control into two separate agencies, one for environmental protection and another for public health. We also eliminated healthcare monopolies by repealing the outdated Certificate of Need program which stifled new investments in healthcare for decades. Injecting free market principles into the healthcare system enables better care at lower costs.

Republicans in the Senate fought to protect the first right, the right to life. We passed a bill to defend the most vulnerable by prohibiting abortion once an unborn child’s heartbeat is detectable. Planned Parenthood and Democrats tried with all their might for abortion-on-demand through five months of pregnancy, but Senate Republicans dug in and refused to let South Carolina be an abortion destination state.

Under conservative fiscal leadership, the people of South Carolina come first. Just weeks ago, Governor McMaster described the annual budget bill as “the most transparent and accountable budget in modern times.” Thanks to Republican leadership in the Senate, the budget includes reduced taxes, funding for conservative priorities, and increased resources for school safety. Teachers now enjoy paid parental leave, and crisis pregnancy centers receive additional support for vulnerable mothers and children.

These are huge wins for South Carolina, and we’re just getting started. The rise of a ‘woke’ agenda threatens our values, communities, and schools. Thankfully, the citizens of the Palmetto State have given Senate Republicans a super majority to hold the line against the slippery slope of liberalism, resulting in significant victories for South Carolina this spring. South Carolina remains a bastion of conservatism because Senate Republicans deliver results.

PRESS RELEASE: South Carolina Senate Fights Back Against Fentanyl

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 24, 2023

SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE FIGHTS BACK AGAINST FENTANYL

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Senate, under Republican Leadership, passed two bills this week addressing the fentanyl epidemic within the State. Senate Bill 1 establishes the crime of “Fentanyl-Induced Homicide”, punishable by up to thirty years in prison. Senate Bill 153 requires that any individual found guilty of trafficking fentanyl receives mandatory prison time.

“This week the South Carolina Senate passed bills making trafficking fentanyl and homicide by fentanyl illegal,” said Senator Greg Hembree, the former 15^th Circuit Solicitor who spearheaded the Senate debate. “The SC House has passed a similar trafficking fentanyl bill and we look forward to quickly reconciling the bills so that law enforcement has the tools to fight this deadly pandemic.”

Senate Republicans listened to the families who shared stories of loved ones lost to fentanyl and voted to hold the perpetrators accountable. “Like many other states, South Carolina is experiencing an epidemic of people dying from fentanyl overdoses. I introduced this bill to give law enforcement another tool in the effort to save lives and to get tougher on those trafficking this dangerous drug in our State,” said Senator Tom Young, the primary sponsor of S. 153.

The men and women of law enforcement increasingly encounter fentanyl in South Carolina communities. These bills will help get this poison off the streets so they can return home to their families safely at the end of the day. Retired police officer, Senator Brian Adams, introduced S. 1 to make death by fentanyl a homicide. “As of now, law enforcement does not have the ability to make the charge of fentanyl-induced homicide. Passing this bill gives officers the ability to hold those trafficking this dangerous drug into our communities accountable,” Senator Adams said.

We will continue to work with the House of Representatives to get these bills to the Governor’s desk.

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