The bipartisan Heroin Task Force unveiled their legislative agenda for the upcoming year, aimed at reducing heroin use and deaths associated with opioids.

The task force, chaired by Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-Connecticut and Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-New Hampshire, started three years ago when the heroin epidemic tore through the Northeastern United States, according to officials.

Congressman Steve Knight, R-Santa Clarita, is also a member of the task force and has had “heroin roundtables” to discuss the impact of the crisis in the Santa Clarita Valley.

“For far too long, the heroin and opioid epidemic has plagued our communities and cost the lives of countless Americans.” said Knight. “The comprehensive slate of ambitious and forward-thinking legislation released today will attack this challenge from all sides. I want to thank Congressman MacArthur and Congresswoman Kuster for their leadership and advocacy on this issue.”

See Related: Heroin Overdose Kills 1, Hospitalizes 9 More In Santa Clarita

The task force released their agenda Wednesday, which includes “Jessie’s Law,” named after a girl who died of an opioid overdose last year.

The law would help ensure doctors have access to a consenting patient’s prior history of addiction in order to make fully informed care and treatment decisions, according to lawmakers.

Other legislative priorities for the task force include increasing funding for education and drug treatment, Knight said.

“Most people think it the opioid epidemic only a local issue,” said Knight. “We in the federal government can also provide assistance to the local community partners on the ground.”

The Congressman has seen the outbreak firsthand, spending almost 20 years in law enforcement.

“During my time as an LAPD officer, I saw firsthand the devastation addiction and dependency can cause,” said Knight. “This is an issue we must address immediately. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance these priorities into law and help protect American lives and neighborhoods.”

Knight said the drug turns young people into “zombies” and takes their lives way too soon.

See Related: How Heroin Comes To The Santa Clarita Valley

Santa Clarita drug treatment officials have seen a recent rise in heroin and other opioid overdoses in the valley.

“There has been a huge uptick of ‘fentanyl-like’ opiates in Santa Clarita,” said Bob Sharits, who leads The Way Out Recovery in Santa Clarita. “The potency of this substance can vary extremely from batch to batch — people don’t know what they are going to get.”

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA).

“It takes only 30 minutes to overdose on fentanyl,” said Sharits. “Heroin takes about an hour and a half — there is a lot less time to recover for fentanyl overdoses.”

It is a schedule II prescription drug, and it is typically used to treat patients with severe pain or to manage pain after surgery.

“The ‘street’ version of fentanyl is not made in a lab,” said Sharits. “The drug is made in a warehouse across the border in Mexico. Some of it is even made in the United States.”

The Heroin Task Force and local community partners will continue to combat this growing issue, which is affecting every single community, said Knight.

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