[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 25 (Saturday, February 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1600. Mr. CASEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 1388 proposed by Mrs. Murray (for herself and Mr. Schumer) 
to the bill H.R. 815, to amend title 38, United States Code, to make 
certain improvements relating to the eligibility of veterans to receive 
reimbursement for emergency treatment furnished through the Veterans 
Community Care program, and for other purposes; which was ordered to 
lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. REPORT ON ILLICIT TRAFFICKING OF ILLICIT XYLAZINE 
                   AND NON-FENTANYL DERIVED SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS INTO 
                   THE UNITED STATES.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) Illicit xylazine is an urgent threat to public health 
     and safety across the United States.
       (2) Xylazine, also known as ``tranq'', is a powerful 
     sedative used by veterinarians working with large animals, 
     such as horses and cattle.
       (3) Although not approved for human consumption, xylazine 
     is often added to other illicit drugs, particularly fentanyl, 
     to enhance the effects of such drugs and increase profits for 
     drug traffickers.
       (4) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has become known as 
     ``ground zero'' for the xylazine crisis, and recent studies 
     have found traces of xylazine in more than 90 percent of the 
     illicit drug supply in Philadelphia.
       (5) In October 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration 
     (DEA) reported that xylazine powder could be purchased online 
     from the People's Republic of China for prices as low as $6 
     to $20 per kilogram.
       (6) In September 2023, the DEA and the Department of 
     Homeland Security identified illicit xylazine entering the 
     United States in several ways, including in solid form from 
     the People's Republic of China and other countries, in liquid 
     form either diverted from veterinary supply chains or 
     packaged to resemble a veterinary drug, and mixed with 
     fentanyl seized at the southwest border.
       (7) In January 2024, the DEA noted that new and deadly 
     synthetic opioids, such as benzimidazole-based opioids, are 
     being increasingly trafficked and abused as the opioid 
     epidemic continues to evolve in the United States.
       (8) Also known as nitazenes, benzimidazole-based opioids 
     have no legitimate medicinal purpose and can be significantly 
     more potent than fentanyl.
       (9) As the United States continues the fight against 
     illicit fentanyl, more must be done to understand and combat 
     the emerging frontiers of the drug crisis in the United 
     States, including the illicit supply chain of xylazine and 
     non-fentanyl derived synthetic opioids.
       (b) Report Required.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in 
     coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the 
     Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to Congress a 
     report on the illicit trafficking of xylazine and non-
     fentanyl derived synthetic opioids into the United States.
       (2) Contents.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
     include:
       (A) an identification of the sources of illicit xylazine 
     and non-fentanyl derived synthetic opioids;
       (B) an identifcation of the locations from which illicit 
     xylazine and non-fentanyl synthetic opioids are originating;
       (C) a description of the involvement of the People's 
     Republic of China, India, and other major illicit drug 
     producing countries, as identified in Presidential 
     Determination No. 2023-12 (88 Fed. Reg. 66673; relating to 
     major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries 
     for fiscal year 2024), in the transit or production of 
     illicit xylazine and non-fentanyl derived synthetic opioids;
       (D) a description of what such illicit drug producing 
     countries are doing to stop the illicit trafficking of 
     xylazine and non-fentanyl derived synthetic opioids;
       (E) an assessment of the use of online markets and 
     platforms for the marketing, sale, and payment for illicit 
     xylazine and non-fentanyl derived synthetic opioids;
       (F) an assessment of the use of common carriers for the 
     shipment and delivery of illicit xylazine and non-fentanyl 
     derived synthetic opioids;
       (G) a description of current actions of the Federal 
     Government to combat the illicit trafficking of xylazine and 
     non-fentanyl derived synthetic opioids;
       (H) an identification of gaps and resource deficiencies in 
     combating the illicit trafficking of xylazine and non-
     fentanyl derived synthetic opioids; and
       (I) a description of strategies for targeted and 
     coordinated law enforcement efforts to disrupt the illicit 
     supply of xylazine and non-fentanyl derived synthetic 
     opioids.
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