Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Drug Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House Committee advances proposals to regulate pill presses, boost fentanyl penalties
Summary
At a committee markup, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce introduced three bills proposing DEA oversight of pill-press distribution, criminalizing imports of illicit pill-press equipment, and enhancing penalties for fentanyl manufacture; sponsors named Hageman, McDowell and Evans.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce opened a markup on measures aimed at curbing the illicit manufacture of counterfeit pills and strengthening tools to stop fentanyl production. "Today's markup will focus on a few bills that work to combat the illicit drug crisis facing our communities, specifically targeting the growing threat posed by pill presses," the chair said.
The chair said the bills together would create a regulatory framework to allow the Drug Enforcement Administration to oversee a closed system of distribution for pill presses and their critical parts. "This system ensures good actors are able to utilize pill presses for legitimate intended uses, while giving DEA the tools to monitor suspicious orders and prevent bad actors from diverting pill presses for the illicit production of counterfeit pills," the chair said.
The chair identified three bills by name and sponsor. H.R.5880, the Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act, led by Representative Hageman of Wyoming, would require serial numbers, recordkeeping and transaction reporting for pill presses and their critical parts. The chair said the measure is intended to create traceability for devices that can be diverted to illicit manufacture.
The Preventing Rogue Equipment for Synthetic Substances Act (PRESS Act), H.R.7184, led by Representative McDowell of North Carolina, would criminalize the importation of pill-press equipment when done with the intent to illicitly produce a controlled substance, according to the chair.
H.R.8005, the Stop Pills That Kill Act, led by Representative Evans of Colorado, would apply enhanced criminal penalties for those who engage in illicit manufacture of fentanyl, fentanyl analogs or related substances. The chair also said H.R.8005 would direct the DEA to establish and implement a comprehensive plan to address counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl, methamphetamine or other illicit synthetics.
No formal motions or votes were recorded in the transcript. The chair closed by saying she looks forward to continuing work on the policies and bringing them to the full committee for further consideration.
Next steps: the measures were introduced and discussed at the markup; the chair indicated they will be advanced to the full committee for future action.
