House jump-starts heroin bill, but differences remain
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill fighting the state’s heroin epidemic Tuesday night, a mostly procedural move meant to put the bill in position to pass in the final days of the 2015 legislative session.
While the new bill contains some compromises between House Democrats and Senate Republicans, it was far from an agreement on an issue that has so far been unable to penetrate two years’ worth of divisive politics to tackle an escalating epidemic that has claimed hundreds of lives.
Democrats and Republicans remain divided on the best way to treat heroin addicts and how long heroin dealers should stay in prison. But with just one day left in the legislative session before a mandatory nine-day recess, the move ensures the two sides can discuss the bill in a conference committee.
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