The Wolf Administration on Thursday announced that overdose deaths in Pennsylvania dropped by 18 percent from 2017 to 2018, citing data provided by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

The news comes as Gov. Tom Wolf and his cabinet provided an update on state efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, which has hit Pennsylvania particularly hard. 

When the legislature returns to Harrisburg in September, there will be one bill awaiting a vote in the House Health and Human Services Committee that has earned bipartisan support and, according to its supporters, could do a lot to help those struggling with the cycle of opioid addiction. 

Senate Republicans joined in the East Wing Rotunda to push for the passage of a package of legislation that would help combat opioid addiction across the state. 

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) noted that last year over 4,000 people in Pennsylvania died from a drug overdose.

On May 21, two candidates will face off in a special election for the 41st Senate District seat vacated by former Sen. Don White (R-Indiana) at the beginning of this session. Vying for the seat are candidates Joe Pittman, White’s longtime chief-of-staff, and Susan Boser, a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).

The two candidates have focused their campaigns on improving economic opportunities in the 41st district, which features portions of Butler, Armstrong, Indiana and Westmoreland counties in western Pennsylvania. But while their end goals are quite similar, the two candidates have some different methods for their plans on improving prosperity and economic conditions in the district.