[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 5, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H788-H789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ERADICATING NARCOTIC DRUGS AND FORMULATING EFFECTIVE NEW TOOLS TO 
               ADDRESS NATIONAL YEARLY LOSSES OF LIFE ACT

  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (S. 206) to require the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection to regularly review and update policies and manuals 
related to inspections at ports of entry.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 206

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLES.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Eradicating Narcotic Drugs 
     and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National 
     Yearly Losses of life Act'' or the ``END FENTANYL Act''.

     SEC. 2. ENSURING TIMELY UPDATES TO U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER 
                   PROTECTION FIELD MANUALS.

       (a) In General.--Not less frequently than triennially, the 
     Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall 
     review and update, as necessary, the current policies and 
     manuals of the Office of Field Operations related to 
     inspections at ports of entry to ensure the uniform 
     implementation of inspection practices that will effectively 
     respond to technological and methodological changes designed 
     to disguise illegal activity, such as the smuggling of drugs 
     and humans, along the border.
       (b) Reporting Requirement.--Shortly after each update 
     required under subsection (a), the Commissioner of U.S. 
     Customs and Border Protection shall submit a report to the 
     Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of 
     the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the 
     House of Representatives that summarizes the policy and 
     manual changes implemented by such update.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Green) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on S. 206.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 206. In 2019, the Government 
Accountability Office issued a report which determined that U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection did not regularly update their inspection 
policies at ports of entry. In some cases, policies had not been 
updated in 20 years and did not accurately reflect current operating 
conditions, presently deployed technology, or adequately address how to 
handle things like fentanyl.
  S. 206 would require CBP to review and update policies and manuals at 
least once every 3 years and also provide reports to Congress on 
changes made by those updates. This should ensure that CBP is employing 
the latest and most efficient methods to stop illegal activity at the 
ports of entry and prevent it from entering the United States.
  I thank Senator Scott and Congressman Guest for their important work

[[Page H789]]

on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support S. 206, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  This bill is a commonsense step to address the fentanyl crisis and 
save American lives. By requiring U.S. Customs and Border Protection to 
incorporate and continually update uniform policies and standards for 
their operations at ports of entry, we can be sure our officers 
continually adapt and implement their inspection practices to the 
changing dynamics of illicit activities along U.S. borders.
  It is important that we continue supporting necessary improvements 
for our ports of entry, where approximately 90 percent of CBP's 
fentanyl seizures occur.
  This bill complements the unprecedented progress that the Department 
of Homeland Security has made in recent years to stop fentanyl from 
entering our communities. DHS has launched new cross-government efforts 
to target smugglers and put more personnel, technology, infrastructure, 
and resources at our border. As a result, DHS has seized more fentanyl 
and arrested more criminals for fentanyl-related crimes in the last 2 
years than over the last previous 5 years combined.
  DHS has taken serious action to thwart human trafficking and human 
smuggling through ports of entry. The END FENTANYL Act builds on these 
efforts, as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Guest), the leader of the House 
companion bill to S. 206 and the vice chair of the Committee on 
Homeland Security.
  Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 206, the END 
FENTANYL Act. I am a proud sponsor of the House companion bill. I thank 
my friend, Senator Rick Scott, for leading this bipartisan effort in 
the United States Senate. I also thank Congressman   David Trone for 
co-leading this legislation in the House.
  This bill would require the United States Customs and Border 
Protection, CBP, to regularly review and update their inspection 
practices at ports of entry. It would also require them to respond to 
any new or innovative smuggling methods. This bill would require CBP to 
brief Congress on new inspection practices. The goal of this bill is to 
ensure that CBP is employing the most up-to-date methods to interdict 
and prevent illegal activities, such as the smuggling of deadly 
narcotics like fentanyl into our country.
  As Chairman Green said, this bill was introduced in direct response 
to a 2019 Government Accountability Office report, which found that 
CBP's inspection techniques were not uniform across different ports of 
entry and in some cases found that they were entirely outdated. The GAO 
report determined: ``Because CBP has not updated many of its policies--
in a few cases for almost 20 years--they do not always reflect changes 
in technology or processes, such as those for conducting searches and 
handling fentanyl.''
  Mr. Speaker, the END FENTANYL Act will be a valuable tool in our 
fight against the deadly scourge of fentanyl, which has devastated 
families and communities across our country. From May of 2022 to May of 
2023, the U.S. suffered over 112,000 overdose deaths, with many of 
those deaths being attributed directly or indirectly to the use of 
fentanyl. Fentanyl poisoning is now the leading cause of death for 
Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.
  As cartels continue to develop new methods to traffic these deadly 
drugs in the United States, this bill will ensure that CBP responds to 
any new smuggling techniques in a uniform manner, with the most up-to-
date and effective practices.
  In closing, this bill will save lives and is a first step to securing 
our border from those smuggling drugs into our communities. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in supporting S. 206.
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of 
my time to close.
  I thank the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Guest) for introducing 
the END FENTANYL Act. It is a key step forward to ensure that we are 
better prepared to stop fentanyl smuggling. By regularly improving our 
strategies at our ports of entry, we can ensure that the Department of 
Homeland Security is keeping our communities safe.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this incredible 
measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time to close.
  I again urge my colleagues to support S. 206. I thank Mr. Guest for 
his work in assisting Senator Scott, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Green) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 206.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the 
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a 
quorum is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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