H.R. 5788

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5788, the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act. The STOP Act requires the U.S. Postal Service to collect Advanced Electronic Data on international shipments, making it easier for U.S. Customs to target high-risk shipments for inspection and seizure. This is particularly important to stem the deadly flow of fentanyl coming from China. I understand the concerns about potential civil penalties that could be imposed if USPS fails to meet terms of compliance. But with the updated language added to the final version, I am confident this legislation provides sufficient flexibility allowing USPS to avoid those penalties as long as it is making a good faith effort to institute AED collection in a meaningful way. I will closely follow the implementation of this policy and will work to make sure USPS can comply without leading to cost-saving actions such as reductions of service, consolidation or closing of post offices, or cuts to the employee workforce. We must stop these dangerous shipments to help save the lives of those who are addicted to opioids. Although there is more to be done to tackle the opioid crisis, this is one step forward that I support.

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