SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) The United States continues to experience 
an epidemic of overdoses of fentanyl, heroin, and 
prescription opioids that claimed more than 49,000 
lives in 2017. 
(2) Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that de-
presses central nervous system and respiratory func-
tion, with euphoric effects that may be more power-
ful than the euphoric effects of heroin or morphine. 
(3) The effect of fentanyl can be up to 50 times 
stronger than the effect of heroin, and 50 to 100 
times stronger than the effect of morphine. 
(4) Although pharmaceutical fentanyl can be di-
verted for misuse, most fentanyl deaths are believed 
to be linked to illicit fentanyl. 
(5) Across the United States, the use of illicit 
fentanyl and deaths related to that use are rising at 
alarming rates. 
(6) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, between 2016 and 2017, the 
rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic 
opioids—largely fentanyl—increased by 45 percent. 
(7) In 2017, more than 28,000 deaths involving 
synthetic opioids—largely fentanyl—occurred in the 
United States, outnumbering deaths from any other 
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type of opioid. According to preliminary data from 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that 
figure increased to nearly 32,000 deaths in 2018. 
(8) Depending on the route of administration 
and other factors, as little as 2 milligrams of illicit 
fentanyl (similar in size to a few grains of salt) can 
be fatal. 
(9) Fentanyl is the primary synthetic opioid 
available in the United States. 
(10) The internet has significantly increased 
the availability of illicit fentanyl and other illicit syn-
thetic opioids in the United States. Those drugs are 
widely advertised for sale, and are available for pur-
chase, on the open and dark web. 
(11) Most illicit fentanyl trafficked into the 
United States originates in the People’s Republic of 
China and is transported into the United States in 
parcel packages directly from the People’s Republic 
of China or from the People’s Republic of China 
through Canada. 
(12) Fentanyl arriving in the mail directly from 
the People’s Republic of China can have exception-
ally high purities—over 90 percent—posing a great 
risk to the purchaser and user, and allowing it to be 
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adulterated many more times and turned into larger 
amounts for sale and use. 
(13) As the designated postal operator in the 
United States, the United States Postal Service ac-
cepts and delivers inbound international mail on be-
half of designated postal operators around the world. 
(14) Express consignment operators accept 
items from customers in foreign countries and trans-
port and deliver those items in the United States. 
(15) U.S. Customs and Border Protection in-
spects mail and express cargo arriving in the United 
States and seizes illegal goods, including those that 
may pose threats to health and safety, ecology, and 
businesses in the United States. 
(16) U.S. Customs and Border Protection is 
able to screen only a tiny fraction of all inbound 
international mail and express cargo into the United 
States, contributing to the influx of illicit fentanyl 
that is causing tens of thousands of deaths in the 
United States annually. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) in order to save potentially tens of thou-
sands of lives in the United States annually, the 
Federal Government must make it a high priority to 
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stem the flow of illicit fentanyl into the United 
States through increased detection and interception 
of inbound international mail and express cargo; and 
(2) the Federal Government must resolve to 
achieve the automated screening of 100 percent of 
international mail and express cargo inbound into 
the United States from high-risk countries for illicit 
fentanyl and other illicit synthetic opioids. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Homeland Security 
of the House of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation and the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
of the Senate. 
(2) EXPRESS
CARGO.—The term ‘‘express 
cargo’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘cargo’’ in 
section 128.1 of title 19, Code of Federal Regula-
tions (or any corresponding similar regulation or rul-
ing). 
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(3) HIGH-RISK COUNTRY.—The term ‘‘high-risk 
country’’ means a country identified by the Sec-
retary, in consultation with the officials specified in 
section 5(b), as a country that poses a high risk of 
being the source of international mail and express 
cargo inbound into the United States containing il-
licit fentanyl and other illicit synthetic opioids. 
(4) ILLICIT
FENTANYL.—The term ‘‘illicit 
fentanyl’’ means illicitly manufactured fentanyl and 
illicit versions of chemically similar compounds 
known as fentanyl analogues. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Homeland Security. 
SEC. 5. DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY TO DETECT IL-
LICIT FENTANYL AND OTHER ILLICIT SYN-
THETIC OPIOIDS IN INTERNATIONAL MAIL 
AND EXPRESS CARGO. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordi-
nation with the officials specified in subsection (b), shall 
carry out and complete a program of research and develop-
ment of technology that, when fully deployed, will auto-
mate the detection of illicit fentanyl and other illicit syn-
thetic opioids in 100 percent of international mail and ex-
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press cargo inbound into the United States from high-risk 
countries. 
(b) OFFICIALS SPECIFIED.—The officials specified in 
this subsection are the following: 
(1) The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection. 
(2) The Chief Postal Inspector for the United 
States Postal Inspection Service. 
(3) The Director of the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy. 
(4) The Administrator of the Drug Enforce-
ment Administration. 
(5) The heads of such other government agen-
cies and private sector entities as the Secretary con-
siders appropriate. 
(c) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—To the extent the Sec-
retary considers appropriate, the program required by 
subsection (a) may incorporate by reference, and rely on, 
any and all aspects of the Opioid Detection Challenge con-
ducted by the Science and Technology Directorate of the 
Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection, the United States Postal Inspection 
Service, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, 
including its findings and results. 
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SEC. 6. 100 PERCENT SCREENING OF ILLICIT FENTANYL 
AND OTHER ILLICIT SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS IN 
INBOUND INTERNATIONAL MAIL AND EX-
PRESS CARGO FROM HIGH-RISK COUNTRIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall im-
plement an automated system to screen 100 percent of 
international mail and express cargo inbound into the 
United States from high-risk countries to detect, and pre-
vent the importation into the United States of, illicit 
fentanyl and other illicit synthetic opioids. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—In developing the system re-
quired by subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 
(1) develop an automated, nonintrusive method 
of detecting illicit fentanyl and other illicit synthetic 
opioids in international mail and express cargo in-
bound into the United States that does not unrea-
sonably delay delivery of such mail and cargo; 
(2) approve the use of appropriate equipment, 
technology, procedures, personnel, and methods for 
conducting screening of such mail and cargo under 
the system; and 
(3) provide for the phased implementation of 
the system so that— 
(A) not later than 18 months after the 
completion of the research and development 
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program required by section 5(a), 50 percent of 
such mail and cargo shall be screened under the 
system; and 
(B) not later than 3 years after the com-
pletion of that program, 100 percent of such 
mail and cargo shall be screened under the sys-
tem. 
(c) REGULATIONS.— 
(1) INTERIM FINAL RULE.—The Secretary may 
issue an interim final rule as a temporary regulation 
to implement this section without regard to the pro-
visions of chapter 5 of title 5, United States Code. 
(2) FINAL RULE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary issues 
an interim final rule under paragraph (1), the 
Secretary shall issue, not later than one year 
after the effective date of the interim final rule, 
a final rule as a permanent regulation to imple-
ment this section in accordance with the provi-
sions of chapter 5 of title 5, United States 
Code. 
(B) FAILURE TO ACT.—If the Secretary 
does not issue a final rule in accordance with 
subparagraph (A) on or before the last day of 
the one-year period referred to in that subpara-
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graph, the Secretary shall, not later than 10 
days after such last day and every 30 days 
thereafter until the Secretary issues such a 
final rule, submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees a report— 
(i) explaining why the final rule was 
not timely issued; and 
(ii) providing an estimate of the ear-
liest date on which the Secretary will be 
able to issue the final rule. 
(C) SUPERCEDING
OF
INTERIM
FINAL 
RULE.—The final rule issued in accordance 
with this paragraph shall supersede the interim 
final rule issued under paragraph (1). 
(d) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than one year 
after the date on which the system required by subsection 
(a) is fully implemented, the Secretary shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a report that de-
scribes the system. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 
as may be necessary to carry out this Act. 
Æ 
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