Securing the International Mail Against Opioids Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. REICHERT. 5788, currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be here today to speak in support of H.R. 5788, the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act, which is short for STOP Act. By passing this important bipartisan bill today, we are standing up for the health and safety of our communities and families and closing an important loophole allowing contraband to enter the United States through international mail.

In my home State of Washington, there has been a 134 percent increase in opioid-related cases between 2004 and 2016, and opioid-related deaths increased by 33 percent. This increase, shockingly, exceeds our State's population growth, and it is why the work that we have been doing in Congress and in the Ways and Means Committee is so important.

In April, we held a hearing in the Trade Subcommittee with witnesses from the United States Customs and Border Protection and the United States Postal Service. They discussed how synthetic opioids are entering the United States through the international mail system and how we can help them put a stop to this.

The bipartisan legislation that we will vote on today supports their work by requiring advance electronic data on international mail shipments and allowing the Border Patrol to target for opioid shipments. It also holds these agencies accountable to do so much more than they have been doing by using hardline deadlines and mandates, as well as penalties. Ultimately, the bill will require the Postal Service to refuse packages for which this information is not provided unless there is compelling reason.

The opioid crisis must be addressed from every angle, and that includes stopping illicit synthetic opioids from entering our country. We must do more to protect our families, our communities, and this bill would do just that.

I want to thank Chairman Brady and Ranking Member Pascrell, Representative Mike Bishop, Representative John Faso, and many of my colleagues who have worked together on this bill. I would also like to thank the staffs of each one of these Members who have worked so hard and dedicated so much time on this critical issue.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the STOP Act.

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