Title: HELP Act of 2017
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Help Ensure Lives are Protected Act of 2017 or the HELP Act of 2017
This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to impose a criminal penalty of life imprisonment or death on a person who commits a drug offense involving a specified quantity of heroin that contains a detectable amount of fentanyl or fentanyl that is represented to be or sold as heroin, if death or serious bodily injury results from the use of such substance.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3883 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3883

  To provide for enhanced penalties for certain offenses relating to 
   controlled substances containing fentanyl, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 28, 2017

 Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Chabot) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition 
      to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide for enhanced penalties for certain offenses relating to 
   controlled substances containing fentanyl, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Help Ensure Lives are Protected Act 
of 2017'' or the ``HELP Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. ENHANCED PENALTIES FOR CERTAIN OFFENSES RELATING TO CONTROLLED 
              SUBSTANCES CONTAINING FENTANYL.

    (a) Controlled Substances Act Amendments.--Section 401(b) of the 
Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 841(b)) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
            ``(8) In the case of a violation of subsection (a) 
        involving a mixture or substance in an amount of 100 grams or 
        more, if the mixture or substance containing a detectable 
        amount of heroin also contains a detectable amount of N-phenyl-
        N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide or any analogue 
        of N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide, 
        and if death or serious bodily injury results from the use of 
        such substance, such person shall be sentenced to life 
        imprisonment or death.
            ``(9) In the case of a violation of subsection (a) 
        involving a mixture or substance in an amount of 100 grams or 
        more, if the mixture or substance containing a detectable 
        amount of N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] 
        propanamide or any analogue of N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-
        piperidinyl] propanamide was represented to be or sold as 
        heroin, and if death or serious bodily injury results from the 
        use of such substance, such person shall be sentenced to life 
        imprisonment or death.''.
    (b) Controlled Substances Import and Export Act Amendments.--
Section 1010(b) of the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (21 
U.S.C. 960(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(8) In the case of a violation of subsection (a) 
        involving a mixture or substance in an amount of 100 grams or 
        more, if the mixture or substance containing a detectable 
        amount of heroin also contains a detectable amount of N-phenyl-
        N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide or any analogue 
        of N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide, 
        and if death or serious bodily injury results from the use of 
        such substance, such person shall be sentenced to life 
        imprisonment or death.
            ``(9) In the case of a violation of subsection (a) 
        involving a mixture or substance in an amount of 100 grams or 
        more, if the mixture or substance containing a detectable 
        amount of N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] 
        propanamide or any analogue of N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-
        piperidinyl] propanamide was represented to be or sold as 
        heroin, and if death or serious bodily injury results from the 
        use of such substance, such person shall be sentenced to life 
        imprisonment or death.''.
                                 <all>