[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 139 (Monday, September 9, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5064-H5065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





DETECTION EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION TO COUNTER THE THREAT OF 
                   FENTANYL AND XYLAZINE ACT OF 2024

  Mr. GIMENEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 8663) to require the Science and Technology Directorate in 
the Department of Homeland Security to develop greater capacity to 
detect, identify, and disrupt illicit substances in very low 
concentrations.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 8663

       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 ``Detection Equipment and 
     Technology Evaluation to Counter the Threat of Fentanyl and 
     Xylazine Act of 2024'' or the ``DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine 
     Act of 2024''.

     SEC. 2. ENHANCING THE CAPACITY TO DETECT, IDENTIFY, AND 
                   DISRUPT DRUGS SUCH AS FENTANYL AND XYLAZINE.

       Section 302 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 
     182) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (13), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (2) in paragraph (14), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(15) carrying out research, development, testing, 
     evaluation, and cost-benefit analyses to improve the safety, 
     effectiveness, and efficiency of equipment and reference 
     libraries for use by Federal, State, local, Tribal, and 
     territorial law enforcement agencies for the accurate 
     detection of drugs or the disruption of drug trafficking for 
     drugs such as fentanyl and xylazine, including, but not 
     limited to--
       ``(A) portable equipment that can detect and identify drugs 
     with minimal or no handling of the sample;
       ``(B) equipment that can separate complex mixtures 
     containing low concentrations of drugs and high 
     concentrations of cutting agents into their component parts 
     to enable signature extraction for field identification and 
     detection; and
       ``(C) technologies that use machine learning or artificial 
     intelligence (as defined in section 5002 of the National 
     Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 
     9401)) and other techniques to predict whether the substances 
     in a sample are controlled substance analogues or other new 
     psychoactive substances not yet included in available 
     reference libraries.''.

     SEC. 3. REQUIREMENTS.

       In carrying out section 302(15) of the Homeland Security 
     Act of 2002, as added by section 2, the Under Secretary for 
     Science and Technology shall--
       (1) follow the recommendations, guidelines, and best 
     practices described in the Artificial Intelligence Risk 
     Management Framework (NIST AI 100-1) or any successor 
     document published by the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology; and
       (2) establish the Directorate of Science and Technology's 
     research, development, testing, evaluation, and cost-benefit 
     analysis priorities under such section 302(15) based on the 
     latest available information, including the latest State and 
     Territory Report on Enduring and Emerging Threats published 
     by the Drug Enforcement Administration or any successor 
     document.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Gimenez) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ivey) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GIMENEZ. 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 H.R. 8663, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GIMENEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8663, the DETECT 
Fentanyl and Xylazine Act of 2024.
  As the catastrophe at our southern border has continued to spiral out 
of control, the trafficking of fentanyl and other drugs has reached 
critical levels, putting Americans and law enforcement officials at 
risk.
  The unchecked drug flow has devastated families and communities 
across the country, and the Committee on Homeland Security has 
uncovered throughout the course of the past 2 years this devastating 
lack of enforcement at the southern border.
  While our brave law enforcement and frontline border personnel do 
their best to interdict, they do not always have the tools and 
resources to effectively do so. H.R. 8663 will improve drug detection 
accuracy through DHS Science and Technology Directorate research and 
providing critical equipment for Federal, State, local, Tribal, and 
territorial law enforcement dealing with fentanyl, xylazine, and other 
deadly drugs.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota) for 
his work on this legislation. I urge all Members to support it, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 8663, the Detection Equipment and Technology Evaluation to 
Counter the Threat of Fentanyl and Xylazine Act is a critical piece of 
legislation that empowers the DHS Science and Technology Directorate to 
enhance the ability of all levels of law enforcement to detect and 
disrupt illicit substances.
  This bipartisan bill, which is cosponsored in the House by my 
colleagues Congressmen Lou Correa and Don Davis, was initially 
introduced by Senators Cornyn, Ossoff, Lankford, and Sinema this past 
spring.
  The bill mandates the development of advanced technologies, such as 
portable drug detectors that require minimal sample handling, equipment 
capable of separating complex drug mixtures into identifiable 
components, and the use of artificial intelligence to identify emerging 
threats.
  These innovations are designed to improve the efficiency and accuracy 
of drug detection efforts, providing law enforcement with the tools 
they need to stay ahead of traffickers and safeguard our communities.
  While this bipartisan bill is undeniably a step forward in combating 
the widespread issue of illicit substances like fentanyl and xylazine, 
it is essential to recognize that its impact goes far beyond the narrow 
scope of any nation's involvement, including China's. The challenges of 
detecting these dangerous drugs are global in nature, and the solutions 
proposed by this bill address a broad spectrum of threats that law 
enforcement faces across the United States.
  This bill is primarily a response and provides comprehensive benefits 
in bolstering our national security and public health infrastructure. 
Therefore, while we strongly support the bill's objectives, we resist 
the effort to politicize any aspect of this critical issue, especially 
given the complexity and widespread nature of this action.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GIMENEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota), the author of the legislation.
  Mr. LaLOTA. Mr. Speaker, the United States of America, the greatest 
nation the world has ever known, is facing an unprecedented crisis as 
deadly drugs like fentanyl and xylazine devastate our communities. It 
is imperative that our leaders here in Congress work together to 
confront this epidemic and save lives.
  Last year, there were over 107,000 drug overdose deaths. Of those 
deaths, over 81,000 involved opioids. Based on prior years' statistics, 
we estimate that fentanyl was responsible for nearly 90 percent of all 
synthetic opioid-related deaths. That is almost 73,000 fentanyl deaths 
in just 1 year.
  These staggering statistics are not just numbers. They represent real 
lives lost, real families shattered, and real communities that are 
forever changed for the worse. It is the biggest cause of death of 
Americans ages 18-45, and it does not discriminate based on race or 
economic class. It kills in each of our districts--170 fentanyl deaths 
per congressional district per year on average.
  Even more troubling is xylazine. Known on the streets as tranq, it is 
now being mixed with fentanyl, making the drug even more deadly and 
more difficult to detect.
  We must do more, more to get these dangerous substances off our 
streets and ensure our law enforcement officers have every tool and 
resource necessary to combat this crisis effectively, which is why I 
was proud to introduce the DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act, a 
bipartisan bill that will do just that.
  This legislation is not just a response to the ever-growing threat of 
illicit narcotics like fentanyl and xylazine. It is a critical step in 
our fight to protect our communities and to save lives.

[[Page H5065]]

  Too many Americans have experienced the devastation caused by illicit 
drugs like fentanyl and xylazine. These substances have infiltrated our 
neighborhoods, torn families apart, and claimed countless lives across 
our great Nation. From Long Island to Los Angeles, no community has 
been spared, and for far too long, illegal drug smugglers have made it 
their mission to poison our streets with these illicit substances.

  Every day, our law enforcement officers, those on the front lines of 
this battle, are forced to confront these threats with often outdated 
and inadequate tools. That is why this legislation is so important.
  The act will authorize the Department of Homeland Security to conduct 
critical research and development, testing, and evaluation of state-of-
the-art detection equipment. This legislation will also empower 
Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies with the 
best technology available to detect and intercept even the smallest 
amounts of these dangerous substances.
  This legislation will also create an important new statutory 
responsibility for the Science and Technology Directorate at DHS to 
focus on three key areas: one, developing portable detection equipment; 
two, improving technologies to separate complex mixtures; and, three, 
leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning.
  Let me be clear. This is not just about equipment and technology. 
This is about the lives that we have a duty to protect. It is about 
ensuring that a child does not lose a parent to a lethal dose of 
fentanyl. It is about preventing the next wave of overdose deaths that 
leaves yet another community in mourning. It is about making sure that 
every law enforcement officer has the tools they need to safely and 
effectively do their job.
  I thank my friend from the other side of the aisle and fellow 
Homeland Security Committee member, Congressman Lou Correa, for 
partnering with me in introducing this critical bipartisan legislation 
and Senators Cornyn, Ossoff, and Sinema for their partnership in the 
Senate in this vital legislation.
  I also thank the coalitions of organizations representing law 
enforcement professionals, public health advocates, and local 
governments across the Nation that have endorsed this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the 
DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act. Let's give our law enforcement the 
resources they need, let's protect our communities, and let's save 
lives.
  Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Republicans and Democrats alike recognize the challenges facing law 
enforcement in the detection of dangerous drugs like fentanyl. H.R. 
8663 is a step in the right direction, and I urge my colleagues to 
support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GIMENEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. As 
more and more Americans are negatively impacted by fentanyl and other 
deadly drugs, it is important to take steps to mitigate and detect the 
flow of these drugs over our borders. I urge passage of H.R. 8663, 
which will develop a greater capacity to detect, identify, and disrupt 
illicit substances. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gimenez) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 8663.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________