Subcommittee advances three bills to curb illicit pill presses amid warnings about over-criminalization

A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee advanced a trio of bills on July 18 aimed at restricting access to pill presses and strengthening penalties for the manufacture and importation of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and other illicit synthetics.

Chairman Griffith said the measures would create a closed system of distribution for pill presses "just like we have for controlled substances," allowing the Drug Enforcement Administration to monitor suspicious orders and prevent diversion. "These bills work together to create [a] regulatory framework that allows DEA to conduct oversight of a closed system of distribution for pill presses and their critical parts," he said.

The three measures considered were HR7184 (the Press Act), HR8005 (the Stop Pills That Kill Act), and HR5880 (the Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act). The clerk described HR7184 as a bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to prevent the importation of pill-press machines with intent to counterfeit substances; HR8005 as a bill creating enhanced penalties and directing DEA to develop a response plan for counterfeit pills; and HR5880 as a serialization-and-recordkeeping measure to identify tableting and encapsulating machines by serial number.

Ranking Member Representative DeGette urged caution, arguing the package places too much emphasis on criminal enforcement. "At the worst, I think these bills just make illegal conduct more illegal," she said, warning that enhanced penalties can duplicate existing statutes and strain the justice system. On HR5880 specifically, DeGette said serialization requirements could unintentionally criminalize ordinary users who employ presses for legitimate uses such as supplements or candy-making, and noted that the bills do not grandfather old equipment.

Representative Guthrie, chair of the full committee, framed the bills as public-health measures to curb the spread of counterfeit pills. He cited DEA data that the agency saw "more than 47,000,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl" in 2025 and stressed that a small dose of fentanyl can be lethal—"just 2 milligrams is considered a potentially lethal dose." Representative Pallone, the full committee's ranking member, agreed the supply-chain focus is important but cautioned that enforcement-only strategies have limits and highlighted past committee work on treatment and harm-reduction tools.

The subcommittee voted to forward HR7184 to the full committee (chair announced the ayes have it). The subcommittee agreed to an amendment in the nature of a substitute offered to HR8005 and then voted to forward HR8005 as amended to the full committee. HR5880 was forwarded to the full committee on a recorded margin noted in the transcript as "2 to 1." The clerk and chair authorized staff to make technical and conforming changes to the legislation approved by the committee that day.

Supporters said the package fills enforcement gaps by making presses and key components traceable and by giving prosecutors and DEA tools to disrupt networks that turn presses and dies into counterfeit pills. Critics cautioned the bills risk sweeping in lawful users, duplicate existing criminal penalties for substances that already are illegal, and would benefit from additional drafting to address grandfathering, practical serialization methods, and enforcement discretion.

The subcommittee adjourned after the votes; the bills will now proceed to the full Committee on Energy and Commerce for further consideration.