Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) joined legislators and public activists at a press conference in Albany held by Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,C-Canandaigua) calling for legislation to address the state’s growing heroin and opioid addiction problem. The Senate recently passed a package of 41 bills and recommendations to combat the issue.

“Our children are dying due to this deadly epidemic and the Assembly hasn’t passed a single bill this year to address it,” Hawley said. “Our conference held a series of statewide forums to gather input from people affected by addiction only to have our comprehensive solutions sit dormant in the Assembly. How many more families need to be torn apart before Assembly leadership steps up and brings solutions to the table? Addiction is a disease that knows no bounds, but we can defeat it by empowering recovery at the local level and providing resources to those on the frontlines. My hope is that legislative solutions will come to fruition before session adjourns for the summer in two weeks.”