House, Senate bills differ on how to fight heroin problem

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — House and Senate lawmakers have pledged to pass a bill this year fighting the state’s growing Heroin problem. But will they pass the same one?

Senate Republicans last month passed their bill, which featured more money for treatment and a provision not to prosecute overdose victims for possession charges. Similar ideas are in a bill House Democrats unveiled on Monday. But there are some key differences.

The House bill would create a statewide exchange where heroin users could swap out dirty needles for clean ones. And it would increase penalties for people convicted of trafficking in more than 1,000 grams of heroin. The Senate bill would treat all heroin dealers the same, regardless of how much heroin they were selling.

Similar efforts failed last year after House and Senate leaders could not agree on the needle exchange provision.