EXCLUSIVE: Congress rolls out bipartisan, bicameral legislation to "fight fentanyl"

Rep. Dave Taylor (R., Ohio) is taking the lead in the House to combat the fentanyl epidemic in a bipartisan way, rolling out the Fight Fentanyl Act today.

Taylor’s legislation, which Rep. Mike Levin (D., Calif.) led on and obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, will both reform and reauthorize the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program.

The bill will help ensure that law enforcement, from local to federal officers, have tools needed to combat fentanyl and other illegal substances.

“For too long, cartels and other bad actors have crossed our borders, bringing fentanyl and other illicit substances into the U.S.,” Taylor said.

“Instead of being available to attend to other needs in our communities, local law enforcement officials continue to struggle to keep up with the constant flow of fentanyl in our communities,” Taylor continued.

“My bipartisan Fight Fentanyl Act will equip law enforcement officials with the tools they need to get illicit drugs out of American neighborhoods and hold fentanyl traffickers accountable for their actions,” he added.

The bill is the House companion to the Senate’s HIDTA Enhancement Act, which Sen. Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.) introduced. Kelly said that the House version of his legislation “is an example of the long-lasting solutions that Republicans and Democrats can work on together to secure our border and prevent the flow of drugs into our communities.”

These bills also aim to target fentanyl traffickers with prosecution for both bringing in and distributing illicit drugs into America. It will also reauthorize the HIDTA Program at $333 million every year through the end of the decade, which is a staggering increase; it will create a report that shows how HIDTA funds are used to investigate drugs traffickers and their prosecution. It provides $14 million to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to enhance fentanyl seizure and interdiction activities.

Additionally, the bill directs the attorney general to assign assistant United States attorneys to individual HIDTA programs to bolster the investigation and prosecution of organizations and individuals trafficking fentanyl and ensure that these criminals are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Taylor’s work is winning him plaudits from the top law enforcement official in Ohio. Dave Yost, the state’s attorney general, told the Reporter that he “appreciate[s] Rep. Dave Taylor’s leadership on such an important issue that impacts all of us.” Yost noted that Ohio’s “covert drug task forces take hundreds of pounds of fentanyl off the streets that was destined for Ohio communities.”

Under Yost’s leadership, Ohio has been at the forefront of both fentanyl testing and identification. “In just the last few weeks, we’ve identified yet another new fentanyl compound,” he noted. “When disguised as common pills, fentanyl and its dangerous analogues can wreak havoc in our communities.”

“The bottom line is this: If you’re taking a pill that wasn’t prescribed by your doctor, you can’t be certain of what you are consuming,” Yost added.

The legislation comes after almost 100,000 Americans died during the Biden administration. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol has seized tens of thousands of pounds of fentanyl in recent years — enough to produce more than 2 billion lethal doses.

Joining Taylor and Levin in introducing the bills are Reps. Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.), Don Bacon (R., Neb.), Scott DesJarlais (R., Tenn.), Dan Goldman (D., N.Y.), Mike Ezell (R., Miss.), Gave Vasquez (D., N.M.), Carol Miller (R., W.Va.), Dan Crenshaw (R., Texas), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D., Wash.), Brad Finstad (R., Minn.), Neal Dunn (R., Fla.), Gerry Connolly (D., Va.), Don Davis (D., N.C.), David Rouzer (R., N.C.), Jeff Hurd (R., Colo.), and Josh Riley (D., N.Y.).

Groups supporting the legislation already include the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), the National Association of Counties (NACO), the National Association of Social Workers, the National District Attorneys Association, the National Association for Children Impacted by Addiction (NACoA), the Addiction Policy Forum, All Rise, Community Action for Safe Teens, and Drug Free America Foundation, Inc.