Anti-heroin Lali's Law moves in Congress
A proposed federal law named for a Buffalo Grove man who died of a heroin overdose has begun moving in Congress.
The plan is named Lali's Law for Alex Laliberte, a Stevenson High School graduate who died in 2008. It would create grants that states could use to get more naloxone, a drug that can help save the life of someone who has overdosed on an opioid like heroin.
A U.S. House committee approved the idea unanimously this week, sending it on for further debate.
"If we had known about naloxone and if it were available then, Alex and thousands of others may still be here for another chance at recovery," Chelsea Laliberte, Alex's sister, said in a statement.
The plan was carried by U.S. Rep. Bob Dold, a Kenilworth Republican, who called the vote "a step toward ensuring that Alex's lasting legacy includes helping others get a second chance at recovery and saving their families from heartbreak."
Lawmakers on both the state and federal level in recent years have boosted their anti-heroin efforts as overdose deaths continued to rise.
Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim said naloxone had been used to save a life 74 times in about a year.