[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.
____________________