'911 Good Samaritan' Bill Passes Senate Committee

The New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday advanced the so-called 911 Good Samaritan bill for consideration by the full Senate.

Blackwood resident Patty DiRenzo has been a major proponent of the bill, advocating with Drug Policy Alliance for its passage since her son, Salvatore Marchese, died of a heroin overdose in Camden in September 2010.

The bill, if approved by the Senate and then signed into law by Gov. Christie, would provide limited immunity for individuals who seek medical assistance for someone experiencing a drug overdose. 

Neither the overdose victim nor the individual who seeks medical assistance could be arrested, charged, prosecuted or convicted for obtaining, possessing, using, or being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance or drug paraphernalia.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the bill (S-851) by a 9-3-1 vote.

“Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in New Jersey and many of them could be prevented if those near the victim were not afraid to call 911 for emergency attention or were not compelled to hide important facts such as what drugs the victim had taken,” Sen. Joseph F. Vitale (D-Middlesex), one of the bill's co-sponsors, said in a statement. “Hopefully this bill will remove people’s fears and end their hesitation in reaching out for emergency help to save someone’s life.”

The Assembly version of the bill (A-578), which legislators have dubbed the Good Samaritan Emergency Response Act, was overwhelming approved on May 24 by a vote of 67-8—there were four abstentions.

DiRenzo testified before the Assembly Judiciary Committee in support of the bill earlier this year. Marchese's siblings testified before the Senate committee on Thursday, DiRenzo said.

Five states—New York, Illinois, Washington, New Mexico and Connecticut—have already enacted "Good Samaritan" laws for drug overdoses, according to Drug Policy Alliance.

“Our current law encourages people to abandon those who are overdosing out of fear of arrest and prosecution," Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), bill co-sponsor, said.

DiRenzo is convinced her son would be alive today if the 911 Good Samaritan Law existed in New Jersey Sept. 22, 2010.

"We just want to save lives," she said last Friday. "We're not asking for much here. You know, everybody deserves a chance to live."