[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 18, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5893-H5895]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FIGHTING EMERGING NARCOTICS THROUGH ADDITIONAL NATIONS TO YIELD LASTING
RESULTS ACT
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 7990) to prioritize efforts of the Department of State to combat
international trafficking in covered synthetic drugs and new
psychoactive substances, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 7990
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fighting Emerging Narcotics
Through Additional Nations to Yield Lasting Results Act'' or
the ``FENTANYL Results Act''.
SEC. 2. PRIORITIZATION OF EFFORTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE
TO COMBAT INTERNATIONAL TRAFFICKING IN COVERED
SYNTHETIC DRUGS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall prioritize
efforts of the Department of State to combat international
trafficking in covered synthetic drugs by carrying out
programs and activities to include the following:
(1) Supporting increased data collection by the United
States and foreign countries through increased drug use
surveys among populations, increased use of wastewater
testing where appropriate, and multilateral sharing of that
data.
(2) Engaging in increased consultation and partnership with
international drug agencies, including the European
Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, and
regulatory agencies in foreign countries.
(3) Carrying out the program to provide assistance to build
the capacity of foreign law enforcement agencies with respect
to covered synthetic drugs, as required by section 3.
(4) Carrying out exchange programs for governmental and
nongovernmental personnel in the United States and in foreign
countries to provide educational and professional development
on demand reduction matters relating to the illicit use of
narcotics and other drugs, as required by section 4.
(b) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report
on the implementation of this section.
(2) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In this
subsection, the term ``appropriate congressional committees''
means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate.
SEC. 3. PROGRAM TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO BUILD THE CAPACITY
OF FOREIGN LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WITH
RESPECT TO COVERED SYNTHETIC DRUGS.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 660 of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2420), the Secretary of
State shall establish a program to provide assistance to
build the capacity of law enforcement agencies of the
countries described in subsection (c) to help such agencies
to identify, track,
[[Page H5894]]
and improve their forensics detection capabilities with
respect to covered synthetic drugs.
(b) Priority.--The Secretary of State shall prioritize
assistance under subsection (a) among those countries
described in subsection (c) in which such assistance would
have the most impact in reducing illicit use of covered
synthetic drugs in the United States.
(c) Countries Described.--The foreign countries described
in this subsection are--
(1) countries that are producers of covered synthetic
drugs;
(2) countries whose pharmaceutical and chemical industries
are being exploited for development or procurement of
precursors of covered synthetic drugs; or
(3) major drug-transit countries as defined by the
President.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section
$4,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021 through 2025.
SEC. 4. EXCHANGE PROGRAM FOR GOVERNMENTAL AND NONGOVERNMENTAL
PERSONNEL TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL AND
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON DEMAND REDUCTION
MATTERS RELATING TO ILLICIT USE OF NARCOTICS
AND OTHER DRUGS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall carry out an
exchange program for governmental and nongovernmental
personnel in the United States and foreign countries to
provide educational and professional development on demand
reduction matters relating to the illicit use of narcotics
and other drugs.
(b) Program Requirements.--The program required by
subsection (a)--
(1) shall be limited to individuals who have expertise and
experience in matters described in subsection (a);
(2) in the case of inbound exchanges, may be carried out as
part of exchange programs and international visitor programs
administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs of the Department of State, including the
International Visitor Leadership Program; and
(3) shall include outbound exchanges for governmental and
nongovernmental personnel in the United States.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amounts
authorized to be appropriated to carry out exchange programs
and international visitor programs administered by the Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of
State for each of the fiscal years 2021 through 2025, there
is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry
out this section $1,000,000 for each such fiscal year.
SEC. 5. AMENDMENTS TO INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL
PROGRAM.
(a) International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.--
Section 489(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2291h(a)) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(10) Synthetic opioids and new psychoactive substances.--
``(A) Synthetic opioids.--Information that contains an
assessment of the countries significantly involved in the
manufacture, production, or transshipment of synthetic
opioids, including fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, to
include the following:
``(i) The scale of legal domestic production and any
available information on the number of manufacturers and
producers of such opioids in such countries.
``(ii) Information on any law enforcement assessments of
the scale of illegal production, including a description of
the capacity of illegal laboratories to produce such opioids.
``(iii) The types of inputs used and a description of the
primary methods of synthesis employed by illegal producers of
such opioids.
``(iv) An assessment of the policies of such countries to
regulate licit manufacture and interdict illicit manufacture,
diversion, distribution, and shipment of such opioids and an
assessment of the effectiveness of the policies'
implementation.
``(B) New psychoactive substances.--Information on the
policies of responding to new psychoactive substances (as
such term is defined in section 7 of the FENTANYL Results
Act), to include the following:
``(i) Which governments have articulated policies on
scheduling of such substances.
``(ii) Any data on impacts of such policies and other
responses to such substances.
``(iii) An assessment of what policies the United States
may want to consider articulating.''.
(b) Definition of Major Illicit Drug Producing Country.--
Section 481(e) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2291(e)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by striking ``means a country in which--'' and
inserting ``means--
``(A) a country in which--'';
(B) by striking ``(A) 1,000'' and inserting the following:
``(i) 1,000'';
(C) by striking ``(B) 1,000'' and inserting the following:
``(ii) 1,000'';
(D) by striking ``(C) 5,000'' and inserting the following:
``(iii) 5,000'';
(E) in subparagraph (A)(iii), as redesignated by this
subsection, by adding ``or'' at the end; and
(F) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) a country which is a significant direct source of
illicit narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled
substances significantly affecting the United States.''; and
(2) in paragraph (5) to read as follows:
``(5) the term `major drug-transit country' means a country
through which illicit narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other
controlled substances significantly affecting the United
States are transported.''.
SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the President should direct the United States
Representative to the United Nations to use the voice and
vote of the United States at the United Nations to advocate
for more transparent assessments of countries by the
International Narcotics Control Board; and
(2) bilateral, plurilateral, and multilateral international
cooperation is essential to combating the trafficking of
covered synthetic drugs.
SEC. 7. DEFINITION.
In this Act:
(1) The term ``covered synthetic drug'' means--
(A) a synthetic controlled substance (as defined in section
102(6) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802(6))),
including fentanyl or a fentanyl analogue; or
(B) a new psychoactive substance.
(2) The term ``new psychoactive substance'' means a
substance of abuse, or any preparation thereof, that--
(A) is not--
(i) included in any schedule as a controlled substance
under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.);
or
(ii) controlled by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
signed at New York, New York, on March 30, 1961 or the
Convention on Psychotropic Substances signed at Vienna,
Austria, on February 21, 1971;
(B) is new or has reemerged on the illicit market; and
(C) poses a threat to the public health and safety.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 7990, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, far too many Americans have witnessed firsthand the
devastating effects of drug abuse. According to the Centers for Disease
Control, our country saw the largest increase in overdose deaths from
2018 to 2019. That is why this bill comes before us at a critical time,
and I thank the author, Mr. Trone, for his leadership and hard work on
this bill and on the entire subject.
Fentanyl is one of the most dangerous synthetic opioids contributing
to the opioid crisis, and since it is largely manufactured outside of
the United States, it is critical that we engage closely with our
international partners to combat this scourge.
The FENTANYL Results Act requires the State Department to update its
approach to illegal synthetic drugs. This bill opens strong channels of
communications with foreign drug enforcement agencies, trains countries
on how to combat synthetic drug production, and promotes exchange
programs for renowned experts who can share their findings around the
world.
With such an imposing task ahead of us, international cooperation is
critical. It is not enough to tackle this issue domestically; we also
must work together with our partners around the world to stop the
transit of these illicit substances.
I was pleased that the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed this
bill unanimously, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting its
passage in the House today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the FENTANYL Results Act.
The opioid crisis continues to have a devastating effect on Americans
across this great Nation. It is imperative we use all the tools at our
disposal to fully address this problem.
The FENTANYL Results Act ensures that we leverage the role of the
State Department in this whole-of-government effort. Specifically, this
bill requires the Secretary of State to
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prioritize efforts to combat international trafficking in synthetic
drugs and new psychoactive substances.
A key provision of this bill authorizes the Secretary to provide
assistance to foreign law enforcement agencies, including those in
drug-transit countries, to stem the illicit flow of fentanyl and other
synthetic drugs across our borders.
This bill requires the Secretary to foster greater partnerships with
international drug agencies and increase data collection to keep pace
with emerging synthetic drug use that could be exploited by the
international trafficking networks.
It also addresses the demand side of this problem by authorizing an
action change program to provide educational and professional
development on demand reduction matters.
This bill is an important measure to continue our aggressive fight
against this deadly fentanyl epidemic, and I urge my colleagues to
support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1330
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Trone), the author of this important bill, and a valued
member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Mr. TRONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support
my bill, the FENTANYL Results Act, that will help increase global
cooperation in the fight against synthetic drug trafficking.
My nephew, Ian Trone, died 4 years ago of a fentanyl overdose at the
age of 24, and since his passing, we have seen a dramatic and alarming
increase in fentanyl and other synthetic opioid deaths across our
country.
In 2019, there were nearly 71,000 overdose deaths in the United
States, the highest number ever recorded. Most disturbingly, this
number reversed the promising decrease in deaths we saw in 2018.
Why did we see a spike last year? Because fentanyl is showing up in
more and more parts of the United States.
Mixed in with heroin, meth, and cocaine, fentanyl is causing more
accidental overdoses and more deaths.
We know that fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.
Some synthetics, like carfentanil, are even deadlier, some 10,000
times stronger than morphine.
In 2018, two-thirds of all opioid-related deaths involved synthetic
opioids.
This rise in opioid deaths is especially alarming because of the
significant impact we know the COVID pandemic has had on the opioid
epidemic.
In Maryland, fentanyl was involved in 93 percent of all opioid-
related deaths for the first 6 months of 2020, and fentanyl-involved
deaths were up 12 percent in the second quarter compared to the same
time last year.
We need to act now if we are going to put an end to these senseless
deaths. We cannot do it alone.
The FENTANYL Results Act instructs the Secretary of State to:
Support increased data collection by the U.S. and other countries on
drug use and make sure we share that data,
Increase consultation with international drug agencies and foreign
regulatory agencies,
Implement technical assistance programs to build partner capacity in
forensic detection capabilities,
And run international exchange programs among demand reduction
experts and scientists.
The U.S. can't fight its way out of this alone. We need to work
together on demand reduction at home, and we are doing that with
stronger prevention, treatment, and recovery programs.
But we need to cooperate with international partners to stem the flow
of synthetic opioids into the United States.
This means working with them to detect fentanyl and its precursors
before these drugs leave the borders.
This means establishing best practices to reduce demand globally, so
we have less of a market for these illicit substances.
This means recognizing that greater cooperation serves us all. It is
in no country's interest to fuel the opioid epidemic.
I thank Ranking Member McCaul for coleading this bipartisan bill with
me. Ranking Member McCaul has been a champion on this bipartisan issue
long before I came to Congress, and I look forward to continuing our
relationship.
I also thank Chairman Engel for helping move the bill through the
Foreign Affairs Committee and making sure we take every possible step
to end the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs in the United
States. We will miss your leadership here in Congress next year, and we
know your service has a long way to go in the future.
We need to tackle the opioid epidemic from every angle, and that
includes working with our international partners to curb drug
trafficking and save lives. This bill helps us do this. I urge a
``yes'' vote.
Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In closing, I want to thank Representative Trone for his work on this
issue.
We all know someone, unfortunately, who has suffered from addiction.
We must remain committed to defeating substance abuse and saving
American lives. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
I, too, would like to thank Chairman Engel for his years of
dedication and service to the State of New York and to this Nation and
his friendship. It has been an honor to work with you, sir. It has been
an honor to know you, and I wish the best of life to you and Pat in the
future.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho) for his kind words. I
really appreciate it.
I, again, thank Mr. Trone for being a great champion on this issue
and for his kind words.
This is the kind of cooperation we have on the Foreign Affairs
Committee, and I really have been honored to preside over it and to
have been on the committee for so many years. These are important
issues that affect real people. The Foreign Affairs Committee has
always been at the forefront of these issues because of the gentlemen
and women that you just heard. We call ourselves the most bipartisan
committee, and I think it is true.
I, again, thank Mr. Trone for being a great champion on this issue,
and, Mr. Yoho, thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all our colleagues to support this bill, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 7990, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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