Governor signs Good Samaritan bill

Posted by Press Release on September 28, 2014

Less than a week after the state Senate unanimously approved legislation to help save lives in the case of drug overdoses, Gov. Tom Corbett signed it into law.

Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dominic A. Pileggi (R-9), the bill provides Good Samaritan immunity from prosecution for certain drug crimes to bystanders who seek help when someone is suffering a drug overdose.

Senate Bill 1164 was amended in the House to make naloxone, an anti-overdose drug also known as Narcan, more easily available to police, firefighters, and the family and friends of those at risk of overdosing.

“As a former prosecutor, I’ve seen opioid addiction and overdoses ruin people’s lives and tear families apart, which is why these actions are absolutely critical to stop the escalating opioid problem statewide,” Gov. Corbett said in a press release. “The bill I am signing today will save lives and ensure those who help someone in need aren’t punished for doing so.”

Pileggi said the bill comes in response to nearly 3,000 heroin-related overdose deaths in Pennsylvania in the past five years. “I’m very pleased to stand with Governor Tom Corbett, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan, and Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan as this bill becomes law,” Pileggi said during the signing in Johnstown.

The senator credited the family of David Massi II, a Delaware County resident who died of a multiple drug intoxication in January 2013. He said Massi’s relatives, including his mother, Daneena Dostellio, and his aunt, Lynne Massi, first approached Pileggi about the need for the legislation.