[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 16300-16302]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING EMERGENCY RESPONSE BY DETECTING 
                INCOMING CONTRABAND WITH TECHNOLOGY ACT

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 2142) to improve the ability of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection to interdict fentanyl, other synthetic opioids, and other 
narcotics and psychoactive substances that are illegally imported into 
the United States, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2142

       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 ``International Narcotics 
     Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting Incoming 
     Contraband with Technology Act'' or the ``INTERDICT Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Chemical screening device.--The term ``chemical 
     screening device'' means an immunoassay, narcotics field test 
     kit, infrared spectrophotometer, mass spectrometer, nuclear 
     magnetic resonance spectrometer, Raman spectrophotometer, or 
     other scientific instrumentation able to collect data that 
     can be interpreted to determine the presence of fentanyl, 
     other synthetic opioids, and other narcotics and psychoactive 
     substances.
       (2) Commissioner.--The term ``Commissioner'' means the 
     Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
       (3) Express consignment operator or carrier.--The term 
     ``express consignment operator or carrier'' has the meaning 
     given that term in section 128.1 of title 19, Code of Federal 
     Regulations (or any similar successor regulation).

     SEC. 3. INTERDICTION OF FENTANYL, OTHER SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS, 
                   AND OTHER NARCOTICS AND PSYCHOACTIVE 
                   SUBSTANCES.

       (a) Chemical Screening Devices.--The Commissioner shall--
       (1) increase the number of chemical screening devices 
     available to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers over 
     the number of such devices that are available on the date of 
     the enactment of this Act; and
       (2) make such additional chemical screening devices 
     available to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers as 
     the Commissioner determines are necessary to interdict 
     fentanyl, other synthetic opioids, and other narcotics and 
     psychoactive substances that are illegally imported into the 
     United States, including such substances that are imported 
     through the mail or by an express consignment operator or 
     carrier.
       (b) Personnel to Interpret Data.--The Commissioner shall 
     dedicate the appropriate

[[Page 16301]]

     number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel, 
     including scientists, so that such personnel are available 
     during all operational hours to interpret data collected by 
     chemical screening devices.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated to the Commissioner 
     $9,000,000 to ensure that U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
     has resources, including chemical screening devices, 
     personnel, and scientists, available during all operational 
     hours to prevent, detect, and interdict the unlawful 
     importation of fentanyl, other synthetic opioids, and other 
     narcotics and psychoactive substances.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Barragan) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as communities across my district and across our Nation 
continue to deal with the crisis of opioid abuse and addiction, it is 
incomprehensible to imagine a synthetic drug up to 50 times stronger 
than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
  Fentanyl is a manufactured opioid which, in its illicit versions, has 
contributed to tens of thousands of deaths. This fact is especially 
concerning, given that this drug can be ordered online and delivered 
via mail or express consignment couriers from places like China.
  Fentanyl is highly potent in trace amounts, and this problem is 
exacerbated due to fentanyl being extremely difficult for our 
authorities to detect. That is why Congresswoman Tsongas and I 
introduced the INTERDICT Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that 
provides U.S. Customs and Border Protection access to the most 
effective chemical screening devices and scientific support to detect 
and intercept synthetic opioids before they can cause more harm.
  Mr. Speaker, the INTERDICT Act will ensure that CBP will have 
additional portable chemical screening devices available at ports of 
entry and mail and express consignment facilities, along with 
additional fixed chemical screening devices available in CBP 
laboratories.
  It also provides CBP with sufficient resources, personnel, and 
facilities, including scientists available at all hours, to interpret 
screening test results from the field and authorizes, based upon 
professional expertise, the appropriation of $9 million for hundreds of 
new screening devices, laboratory equipment, facilities, and personnel 
for support during all operational hours.
  Combined, the additional chemical screening devices, scientists, and 
other resources will help safeguard CBP field personnel from exposure 
to fentanyl and other deadly synthetic opioids and narcotics and 
prevent their unlawful importation.
  As an EMT and former Federal drug prosecutor, I have seen firsthand 
the devastating impact of addiction in our communities and understand 
the increased danger added by synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Illicit 
fentanyl being trafficked into the United States poses a continued 
threat to the American people.
  By passing this legislation, this body can follow through on its 
promise to the American people and align our policy with the 
President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid 
Crisis, which has prioritized regulating the flow of fentanyl in its 
interim report.
  I urge all of my bipartisan Members of this House to join me in 
supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2142, the INTERDICT Act of 
2017. H.R. 2142, the International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency 
Response by Detecting Incoming Contraband with Technology Act, or the 
INTERDICT Act, is an important piece of legislation in our ongoing 
fight to stop the flow of illicit opioids like fentanyl from places 
like China and Mexico.
  According to the CDC, the death rate from synthetic opioids, which 
includes drugs such as tramadol and fentanyl, increased by 72.2 percent 
from 2014 to 2015. In 2016, CBP seized nearly 200 pounds of fentanyl 
and other synthetic opioids, primarily from along the southwest border. 
This is 25-fold increase over seizures from the previous year.
  The INTERDICT Act before us today ensures that CBP will have the 
necessary tools to better combat the flow of these opioids. More 
specifically, this bill provides CBP high-tech chemical screening 
devices to help detect and interdict fentanyl and other illicit 
synthetic opioids. Additionally, the bill provides for the laboratory 
equipment, facilities, and personnel for support during all operational 
hours.
  This bill was passed by our committee unanimously, and I commend the 
sponsors of this bill, the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas) 
and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), for their 
leadership on this issue.
  I urge my colleagues to supports this bill, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas).
  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2142, the 
INTERDICT Act, legislation I was pleased to introduce with Congressman 
Fitzpatrick.
  Whenever I meet with local public safety officials in my district, 
they explain the urgent need for resources and support to combat drugs 
like fentanyl, which can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 
times stronger than morphine.
  In Massachusetts, the proportion of overdose deaths attributed to 
fentanyl is rising at a meteoric rate. At its lowest, in the third 
quarter of 2014, fentanyl was present in 18 percent of opioid-related 
deaths in Massachusetts; but by 2016, fentanyl was present in a 
staggering 69 percent of the State's opioid-related deaths, resulting 
in 1,400 fentanyl-related deaths in the Commonwealth, a staggering 
number.
  Although pharmaceutical fentanyl can be misused, most fentanyl deaths 
are linked to illicitly manufactured fentanyl and illicit versions of 
chemically similar compounds. The primary source of fentanyl is outside 
of the United States, in Mexico or China. The drug is smuggled in 
across the U.S. border or delivered via mail or express consignment 
couriers.
  The INTERDICT Act will provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
with the latest in chemical screening devices to deploy across the 
United States to better detect and intercept fentanyl and other 
synthetic opioids.
  Furthermore, this legislation will ensure that Customs and Border 
Protection has the resources, personnel, and facilities--including 
scientists available during all operational hours--to interpret 
screening test results from the field.
  These high-tech devices will also protect law enforcement officers 
and their four-legged counterparts on the front lines from exposure to 
the deadly narcotic, which is so powerful that coming into contact with 
just a few grains can be fatal.
  I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member of the Homeland 
Security Committee for their support, and I also want to thank Mr. 
Fitzpatrick for his partnership on this legislation, as well as our 
colleagues in the Senate, Senators Markey, Rubio, Brown, and Capito, 
for their bipartisan work on the Senate counterpart legislation.

[[Page 16302]]



                              {time}  1715

  The Federal Government must do its part to ensure our first 
responders have the tools they need in this greatest of public health 
fights. The INTERDICT Act provides important and powerful resources in 
this endeavor, and I urge its adoption.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. If the 
gentlewoman from California has no other speakers, I am prepared to 
close.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 
2142 is an important piece of legislation that has strong bipartisan 
support. Passage of this bill will go a long way in our fight against 
opiates. As such, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 2142.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I once again urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 2142, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 2142, the 
International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting 
Incoming Contraband with Technology (INTERDICT) Act, to aid U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection officers with narcotics screenings.
  In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
determined that fentanyl and synthetic opioids took the lives of 64,070 
people, a 21 percent increase from the previous year. In my home state, 
the Georgia Department of Public Health found that the number of deaths 
due to opioid overdoses is now nearly equal to the deaths from motor 
vehicle crashes. In the 4th District alone, over 200 lives were 
tragically lost due to this horrible epidemic. As a country, we can no 
longer afford inaction on an issue that has turned into an epidemic 
under our watch.
  H.R. 2142 requires the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to 
increase the amount of chemical screenings to prevent the smuggling of 
fentanyl, opioids, and other narcotics into the country, either through 
mailing services or through a carrier. The bill also mandates that 
sufficient funds and employees, including scientists, are available to 
ensure thorough screenings and resources available at all operational 
hours. By giving our CBP officers a better chance of detecting these 
illicit drugs at the border, we may be able to save the lives of 
hundreds, if not thousands of Americans. Only with our action can we, 
as members of Congress, start to make a meaningful difference in this 
fight that is ravaging our country.
  This is why I have strongly favored more funding to prevent the 
spread of the opioid crisis in the past, and will continue to fight for 
more resources that will end the opioid addiction crisis. For this 
reason, I am pleased to support H.R. 2142.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2142, as amended.
  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. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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