OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Securing the International Mail Against Opioids Act of 2018

Floor Speech

Date: June 14, 2018
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Drugs

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Mr. Speaker, our country is currently experiencing an epidemic of opioid-related overdoses and fatalities. My community and my State of Massachusetts are not strangers to the heartbreak and devastation that we recognize on this occasion.

There is a lot we can and should be doing about the opioid epidemic, and I am eager to work with my colleagues here in the House on comprehensive and effective solutions. For today, the bill we are to consider is a good start.

The Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention, or STOP, Act of 2018 shores up the ability of U.S. Customs to target and thwart shipments of synthetic opioids like fentanyl into the United States through the mail. It requires the U.S. Postal Service to collect important information about the contents and senders of packages from foreign postal services.

I supported the earlier edition of this bill that was introduced in 2017 because I recognized the enormity of the devastation we face with opioids. I know that there were serious concerns with the earlier version of the bill, especially with respect to the severity of the penalties it imposed on the Postal Service. I am glad that the STOP Act that we are considering today makes important improvements to that original bill and to those penalties and provisions.

Let me especially express my appreciation for Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Bill Pascrell, who has worked together with the Democrats on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the Senate, and the majority, obviously, to make improvements.

I understand there were some continued concerns with the bill, and we certainly want to continue to work with interested parties to address those concerns.

Given the urgency of the epidemic at hand, I am glad that we are able to support what is in front of us today, which I believe is a strong and achievable measure in this legislation to at least address part of the opioid epidemic.

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