Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled to vote on bipartisan fentanyl bill tomorrow.
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) welcomed growing support for the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act ahead of the bill’s markup in the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow morning. Grassley cosponsors the legislation, alongside Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), to permanently classify illicit fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I. This classification would provide support to law enforcement, while protecting the legitimate use of fentanyl for medical or research purposes.
The Halt Fentanyl Act currently has 22 bipartisan Senate cosponsors, including every Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget has confirmed that, if Congress passes the bill in its current form, the president will sign it.
Grassley earlier this month chaired a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the critical need for permanent fentanyl scheduling. Since then, he has received over 100 letters from survivor parents and family members sharing their stories. Many of these letters urge committee members to swiftly pass the HALT Fentanyl Act as drafted and without amendments.
Additionally, the bill has garnered support from over 40 advocacy groups, including 25 State Attorneys General, 11 major law enforcement organizations, nine major medical associations and Facing Fentanyl, a coalition of over 200 impacted family groups.
“To ensure that law enforcement can continue to prosecute the sale and use of illicit fentanyl analogues, [we] respectfully ask the Senate to permanently schedule all current and future fentanyl analogues as Schedule I drugs by passing the vital HALT Fentanyl Act as soon as possible,” the 25 State Attorneys General wrote.
“We, the undersigned organizations, representing a significant portion of the nation’s federal, state and local law enforcement community, write to express our strong support for the HALT Fentanyl Act and urge the Committee to advance this critical legislation without delay or modification,” the law enforcement organizations wrote.
“We commend recent bipartisan efforts to advance legislation that addresses the fentanyl crisis by categorizing illicit fentanyl and its analogues in the clinically appropriate schedule while preserving access to scientific research into methods of pain management and medication-assisted treatment,” the major medical associations wrote.
“Our [coalition] of affected groups and families across the nation stands in full support of the HALT Fentanyl Act as it is currently written, without amendments,” Facing Fentanyl wrote.
Additional endorsing organizations include the Fraternal Order of Police, the Drug Enforcement Association of Federal Narcotics Agents, the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the National Association of Police Organizations, the National Sheriffs' Association, the Major County Sheriffs of America, the National Alliance of State Drug Enforcement Agencies, the National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Directors Association, the National Narcotic Officers' Associations' Coalition, the National District Attorneys Association, the Iowa Narcotic Officers Association, the Sergeants Benevolent Association NYPD, San Diego Imperial Valley HIDTA, the Illinois Drug Enforcement Officers Association, the Arizona HIDTA and the Peace Officers Research Association of California.
Download bill text HERE and a fact sheet HERE.
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