Queens, NY – New York State Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato joined the Suffolk and Nassau County District Attorney’s, along with victims, in supporting a package of legislation to combat drug overdose deaths and the fentanyl epidemic in New York. One of the bills supported by the Assemblywoman is A.8384, also known as “Chelsey’s Law,” which would allow prosecutors to charge anyone who knows, or has reasonable grounds to know, that a controlled substance is likely to cause the death of another person. The bill will allow for drug dealers to be charged with manslaughter, or aggravated manslaughter.

“This is imperative legislation! We are dealing with a public health crisis and a public safety emergency. We cannot allow the drug dealers who ruin lives and are responsible for horrible deaths to go unpunished. We are fighting back against those who wish to do harm to our communities by filling in the gaps of the existing law. I want all the drug dealers out there to know that we’re coming for you,” said Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato.

Pheffer Amato has also introduced additional legislation to change the current drug law and give needed tools to law enforcement and district attorneys. Her bill, A.4582, seeks to amend the current statute by including fentanyl analogues, or synthetic fentanyl, in the State’s drug laws. Synthetic fentanyl has a different chemical structure which is not fully covered in the law yet is being sold at increased levels and still possesses the same type of danger as fentanyl. Pheffer Amato’s bill addresses these discrepancies and gives prosecutors the ability to go after those who threaten the health and well-being of New Yorkers.