Title: STEER Act
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Substance Tableting and Encapsulating Enforcement and Registration Act or the STEER Act
This bill establishes registration requirements for tableting machines (pill presses) and encapsulating machines (capsule fillers).
Specifically, the bill requires a person who possesses a tableting machine or encapsulating machine to obtain a registration from the Drug Enforcement Administration, subject to specified exceptions.
Additionally, it prohibits and penalizes—with civil fines, criminal penalties, or both—the possession of an unregistered tableting machine or encapsulating machine.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 989 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 989

    To amend the Controlled Substances Act to require a person that 
 possesses or intends to possess a tableting machine or encapsulating 
machine to obtain registration from the Attorney General, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 2, 2019

Mr. Cassidy (for himself and Ms. Hassan) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Controlled Substances Act to require a person that 
 possesses or intends to possess a tableting machine or encapsulating 
machine to obtain registration from the Attorney General, 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 ``Substance Tableting and 
Encapsulating Enforcement and Registration Act'' or the ``STEER Act''.

SEC. 2. REGISTRATION FOR TABLETING AND ENCAPSULATING MACHINES.

    (a) Persons Required To Register.--Section 302 of the Controlled 
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 822) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following:
    ``(3)(A) Each person who possesses a tableting machine or 
encapsulating machine shall obtain from the Attorney General a 
registration for each such machine in accordance with regulations 
promulgated by the Attorney General.
    ``(B) Such person shall update the information submitted to the 
Attorney General for such registration as necessary to ensure the 
accuracy of such information.''; and
            (2) in subsection (c), by striking ``or list I chemical'' 
        each place it appears and inserting ``, list I chemical, 
        tableting machine, or encapsulating machine''.
    (b) Registration Process.--Section 303 of the Controlled Substances 
Act (21 U.S.C. 823) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(l) Registration of Tableting and Encapsulating Machines.--The 
Attorney General shall register each tableting machine or encapsulating 
machine for which an application is submitted under section 
302(a)(3)(A) unless the Attorney General determines that such 
registration is inconsistent with the public interest.''.
    (c) Definitions.--Section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 
U.S.C. 802) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(58) The term `encapsulating machine' means equipment--
            ``(A) that is designed to fill with a controlled substance, 
        or a controlled substance analogue, a shell or capsule for 
        human or animal consumption and that--
                    ``(i) allows the operator of such equipment to fill 
                more than one shell or capsule without human 
                intervention between the filling of each such shell or 
                capsule; or
                    ``(ii) may be attached to a container that modifies 
                such equipment such that the operator may fill more 
                than one shell or capsule without human intervention 
                between the filling of each shell or capsule; or
            ``(B) that has been used to fill with a controlled 
        substance, or a controlled substance analogue, a shell or 
        capsule for human or animal consumption.
    ``(59) The term `tableting machine' means equipment--
            ``(A) that is designed to compact or mold a controlled 
        substance, or a controlled substance analogue, to produce a 
        coherent, solid tablet for human or animal consumption and 
        that--
                    ``(i) allows the operator to produce more than one 
                such tablet without human intervention between the 
                production of each such tablet; or
                    ``(ii) may be attached to a container that modifies 
                such equipment such that the operator may produce more 
                than one such tablet without human intervention between 
                the production of each such tablet; or
            ``(B) that has been used to compact or mold a controlled 
        substance, or a controlled substance analogue, to produce a 
        coherent, solid tablet for human or animal consumption.''.
    (d) Penalty.--Section 402(a) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 
U.S.C. 842(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (16), by striking ``or'' after at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (17), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(18) to possess a tableting machine or encapsulating 
        machine, in or affecting interstate commerce, without the 
        registration required by this title.''.
    (e) Application.--This section and the amendments made by this 
section shall apply beginning at the end of the 1-year period following 
the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. INFORMATION CAMPAIGN.

    The Attorney General shall conduct a campaign to inform persons 
required to register under the amendments made by section 2 of such 
requirement.

SEC. 4. REPORT.

    Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Attorney General shall submit to the Congress a report containing--
            (1) a description and evaluation of the efforts of the Drug 
        Enforcement Administration under the amendments made by section 
        2 to reduce the use of unregistered tableting machines and 
        encapsulating machines in the illegal manufacture of controlled 
        substances;
            (2) with respect to tableting machines and encapsulating 
        machines, or disassembled parts of such machines--
                    (A) the number seized by the Drug Enforcement 
                Administration after the date of the enactment of this 
                Act; and
                    (B) the number imported and exported after the date 
                of the enactment of this Act; and
            (3) recommendations with respect to changes to Federal law 
        to support the Drug Enforcement Administration in such efforts.

SEC. 5. SUNSET.

    (a) In General.--This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall 
cease to be effective beginning on the date that is 5 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
    (b) Repeal of Amendments.--Effective on the date described in 
subsection (a):
            (1) Section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 
        802) is amended by striking paragraphs (58) and (59).
            (2) Section 302 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 
        822) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (3); 
                and
                    (B) in subsection (c), by striking ``, list I 
                chemical, tableting machine, or encapsulating machine'' 
                each place it appears and inserting ``or list I 
                chemical''.
            (3) Section 303 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 
        823) is amended by striking subsection (l).
            (4) Section 402(a) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 
        U.S.C. 842(a)) is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (16), by adding ``or'' at the end;
                    (B) in paragraph (17), by striking ``; or'' and 
                inserting a period; and
                    (C) by striking paragraph (18).
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