Rep. Ronny Johns, R-Ada, is renewing a call for action on Rain’s Law, House Bill 1484, legislation that would require age-appropriate fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness education in Oklahoma schools. Approved by the full House and a Senate Committee, leadership in the Senate is apparently not interested in bringing it to a floor vote. How many must die to move the bill?
Rain’s Law passed House committees and the House floor unanimously and was also approved in Senate committee during the First Session of the 60th Legislature, but it was never heard on the Senate floor. Johns said the bill has already earned broad bipartisan support, and he is asking the Senate to finally bring the measure forward for a vote in the next round of legislative business.
“This bill has been thoroughly vetted, and we cannot let another session go by without acting,” Johns said. “More importantly, it is not just another law to put on the books; it is needed. Rain’s Law is about protecting kids with information that can save their lives.”
If enacted, HB1484 would require instruction on fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness at designated grade levels and intervals. The bill outlines educational components, authorizes qualified organizations and individuals to provide instruction and directs the Oklahoma State Department of Education to adopt curriculum standards and provide resources to schools. The measure also calls for the Governor to designate Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week in schools, coordinated with National Red Ribbon Week.
Senator Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, says action is needed as fentanyl exposures continue to claim lives and devastate communities across Oklahoma and the nation.
“This is a national fight, but one that hits extremely close to home,” Weaver said. “President Trump has made fentanyl awareness and abatement a national priority, pushing strong enforcement and tougher penalties for traffickers to stop the flow of poison into our country. Rain’s Law builds on those efforts, and gives Oklahoma a commonsense tool: education that can save lives before addiction or tragedy takes hold.”
HB1484 is named in honor of Rain Reece, an Oklahoma child whose life was lost due to fentanyl poisoning. Johns said Rain’s mother, Karla Carlock, has transformed unimaginable grief into advocacy, working to ensure that other families are spared the kind of heartbreak she has endured.
“Karla is doing what no mother should ever have to do, carrying the memory of her daughter into the Capitol and asking us to do something with it,” Johns said. “She has taken the worst pain a parent can experience and turned it into a mission to protect other children. We owe it to her, and we owe it to Oklahoma families, to see this bill across the finish line.”
Carlock visited Washington, D.C., last summer and was present when President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill into law strengthening fentanyl-related laws in the United States.
“I never imagined I would lose my daughter to fentanyl poisoning,” Carlock said. “You always think tragedies like this happen to other families, not yours. Losing Rain shattered our world, and that is why Rain’s Law, HB1484, matters so much: education and awareness are critical, because if kids don’t know the risks, they can’t protect themselves. There is nothing more important than a child’s life, and if this bill can save even one child, all of the pain and effort will be worth it.”
Johns also pointed to another House measure tied to the same crisis, House Bill 4421, authored by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, titled Leo’s Law, which addresses fentanyl exposure and drug screening within child welfare cases. That bill, he said, highlights the growing movement of families stepping forward to push state leaders toward solutions.
“Rain’s Law works on prevention in schools. Leo’s Law responds to the reality we are seeing in child welfare cases,” Johns said. “Different stories, same crisis, and the same determination from Oklahoma families who refuse to accept fentanyl as normal.”
Johns acknowledged the disappointment felt by many supporters after Rain’s Law stalled without receiving a full Senate vote, despite its unanimous support throughout the process.
“This is not about politics. This is about saving kids,” Johns said. “It is about parents who think their children are safe, until one moment changes everything. Rain’s Law gives schools the ability to put lifesaving knowledge in front of students, and it sends a message that Oklahoma will not back down in the fight against fentanyl.”