Leo’s Law: Turning Tragedy Into Protection for Oklahoma Children

The Sooner State consistently serves as a model of public safety success in the country. Yet, in 2024, a  three-year-old Oklahoma boy lost his life to fentanyl poisoning. His name was Leonardo “Leo” Towe. No child should ever be exposed to a substance as deadly as fentanyl, and no family should have to experience the loss of a child in such a horrific way. But instead of allowing Leo’s death to become another tragic statistic in the fentanyl crisis, Oklahoma lawmakers upheld their legacy as public safety champions and chose to act. Leo’s Law, signed into law by Governor Kevin Stitt, is a meaningful step toward protecting children who may be exposed to fentanyl and holding adults accountable when children are placed in danger.

Leo’s Law strengthens Oklahoma’s child-welfare response to fentanyl by establishing a Child Welfare Fentanyl Testing Revolving Fund and providing more than $1 million to support testing and child-welfare response efforts. The law also addresses the definition of a drug-endangered child and establishes additional protections and procedures when fentanyl exposure is suspected. These measures recognize a simple reality: when a child is living in an environment where fentanyl is present, the danger is immediate and potentially fatal. Oklahoma's child-welfare system needs the tools to identify that danger before another child pays the ultimate price.

This legislation deserves recognition because it represents what government should do when operating at its best, protecting the innocent and responding to real problems with practical solutions. Governor Kevin Stitt deserves credit for signing Leo’s Law and putting these protections in place. The lawmakers who carried the legislation through the Capitol also deserve recognition, particularly Sen. Todd Gollihare and Speaker Kyle Hilbert, who ultimately served as the principal authors of the legislation. Their leadership helped turn a heartbreaking story into a policy designed to prevent similar tragedies from happening to other Oklahoma families.

It comes as no surprise that so many fellow legislative leaders joined their colleagues in responding swiftly to this preventable crisis. Representatives Danny Williams, Josh West, Robert Manger, Melissa Provenzano, Ellyn Hefner, Tim Turner, and Chris Banning, along with Senators Dana Prieto and Christi Gillespie, signed onto the legislation as coauthors. Earlier versions of the legislation saw many additional lawmakers help move the proposal through several committees and floor votes. The final measure passed the Oklahoma House 88–2 and the Senate 47–0, demonstrating that protecting children from the deadly consequences of fentanyl can and should be a bipartisan priority.

Several of the legislators involved have also demonstrated a strong commitment to conservative principles beyond this single piece of legislation. Rep. Chris Banning, for example, earned a 100% CPAC rating in 2025 and a 95% lifetime rating. Rep. Jason Blair, who was involved in the earlier legislative history of SB 633, has an 86% current and lifetime CPAC rating. Their records demonstrate that protecting children from fentanyl can be part of a broader conservative commitment to public safety, accountability, and defending families.

The fentanyl crisis has already taken far too many American lives. For children, the threat is especially horrifying because they have no ability to understand or protect themselves from the substances around them. Leo’s Law recognizes that protecting children sometimes requires more than waiting for tragedy to occur. It requires identifying dangerous environments, giving child-welfare officials the tools to respond, and ensuring that those responsible for exposing children to deadly drugs face appropriate consequences.

Leo’s story is one that should be prevented in all communities across this country, but thanks to principled policy makers, Oklahoma has chosen to make sure his death was not meaningless and once again serve as a national leader in public safety. By honoring Leo with legislation that can protect other children, Governor Stitt and the Oklahoma lawmakers have shown that conservative leadership can turn tragedy into action. Leo deserved to grow up. Other Oklahoma children deserve the chance to do the same. Leo’s Law is an important step toward making sure they do.