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Hobbs signs bill to extend Arizona 'Good Samaritan' law

Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill Monday that would extend an existing law that protects good Samaritans who intervene to save someone experiencing an opioid overdose. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Quang Nyugen, said many delay calling for help in fear of arrest if they’re carrying drugs.

“When it comes to fentanyl and opioid stuff, I think we can always find common ground there,” Quang said. “To me, it’s a non-partisan issue. It shouldn’t be a ‘right’ or ‘left’ [issue]. We’re talking about saving lives, for Arizonans.”

The law has been in effect since 2018.

Once Hobbs signed the extension, it was immediately in effect due to an emergency clause in the bill. Now, it’s extended to June 2028.

Kirsten Dorman is a field correspondent at KJZZ. Born and raised in New Jersey, Dorman fell in love with audio storytelling as a freshman at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2019.