Austin's Law: Saving Lives
Meet Austin
This is Austin Walters. He is my little brother. He is an avid outdoorsman, who loves to fish, hunt, guide dogs, master of the grill and most of all the kindest, humble and gentle soul you would ever meet. Austin gained his angel wings on Sept 9, 2021 at age 30. He is a people lover, which shined thru his career as a farm equipment salesman for Ag-Pro. He was one of the top salesman in the country of John Deere farm equipment. Austin, like so many others, suffered from anxiety and depression. He sought to treat this with Xanax off the street. He bought one that ultimately cost him his life because unbeknownst to him it was laced with Fentanyl. Our lives were forever changed when Austin passed away. Our family knew we had to do something to impact this epidemic that is taking the lives of our families. My parents are such a pillar of strength. I have watched them in awe of how they have handled this senseless tragedy. They decided to take action by writing a GA Senator Russ Goodman. After a year and a half of doing so, SB 465 "Austin's Law" was finally written. It was a long process but one that we will never forget. On March 20, 2024 Austin's Law passed the GA State House of Representatives unanimously with 175 Yay votes and back to the Senate for a unanimous vote the same day.. all of this made possible by my parents, Senator Russ Goodman, Lt Governor Burt Jones and many others that helped carry this bill thru. The law imposes penalties for causing death by fentanyl.
See more info at this link. https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB465/2023
This certainly will not bring our sweet Austin back, but it will ensure that his death has an honorable impact for generations to come. Our hope is to raise awareness and honor my brother in a bright way as his life was such a bright light for all of us.
