Bacon Leads Bipartisan Group to Introduce Bill to Keep Fentanyl out of Prisons 

Original Cosponsors are House Judiciary Committee Members Moore (R-AL) and Moskowitz (D-FL), as well as Cuellar, Horsford, Miller, Pappas (D-NH), and Weber

 Washington – Yesterday, Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02) introduced the bipartisan H.R. 1046, the ‘‘Marc Fischer Memorial Interdiction of Fentanyl in Postal Mail at Federal Prisons Act, alongside House Judiciary Committee Members Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), as well as Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Carol Miller (R-WV), Chris Pappas (D-NH), and Randy Weber (R-TX). The fentanyl epidemic has claimed thousands of American lives. It is a particular problem among the incarcerated, a significant number of whom suffer from addiction. The legislation is named for Marc Fischer, a mailroom supervisor and Coast Guard veteran who died at Atwater Federal Prison from the exact kind of fentanyl exposure the bill targets.

 Prisons have experienced a 600 percent rise in drug overdoses among inmates over the past several years, driven by the smuggling of fentanyl and other contraband through the mail service. Fentanyl poses a significant risk to the health and safety of inmates and prison employees. H.R. 1046 will require the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to develop a plan to transition to digital mail scanning. 

 “Digitizing mail has been shown to be an effective method for keeping this deadly drug away from inmates and protecting employees who are tasked with processing the mail,” said Rep. Bacon. “Neglecting this simple solution diverts resources and threatens health and safety at our prisons.”

“The fentanyl epidemic has touched every community in America, including our federal prisons,” said Rep. Cuellar. “I helped introduce the Interdiction of Fentanyl in Postal Mail at Federal Prisons Act to protect our prison employees and inmates from the risks of these dangerous narcotics. Modernizing the inmate mail system with digital mail screening is a common-sense solution that will save lives across the country.”

 “Every Fentanyl death is a tragedy, and particularly so in our prisons where overdoses can be prevented with commonsense procedural changes,” Rep. Horsford said. “Shifting from physical to digital mail will cut off a major source of these deadly drugs, protecting inmates and prison employees alike. It’s beyond time to make this shift, and I’m proud to support this legislation to start the process.”

 “The fentanyl and opioid crises in America have devastated our communities and will continue to until we combat the flow of drugs throughout the United States,” said Rep. Miller. “The Interdiction of Fentanyl in Postal Mail at Federal Prisons Act will prevent fentanyl from being smuggled through postal mail into federal prisons and implement better living and working conditions at these facilities. Congress must partner with President Trump to stop the overwhelming flood of fentanyl into our communities.  The safety of our inmates, officers, and staff is of the utmost importance as we take crucial steps to stop the drug crisis in America.”

“The fentanyl epidemic has claimed thousands of American lives, and fentanyl exposure puts many more lives on the line,” said Moore. “Just one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. I thank my colleagues for joining me to introduce this legislation that protects employees and inmates by asking the Bureau of Prisons to transition to digital mail scanning to improve the safety of our prisons.”

 “Keeping fentanyl and other synthetic opioids out of our prison system should be a no-brainer,” said Rep. Moskowitz. “Through this commonsense bill, we’ll modernize the mail system at federal prisons, prevent contraband from entering these facilities, and protect mail carriers, prison staff, and federal inmates from these deadly substances.”

 “Modernizing the mail system at federal prisons will ensure staff can safely interdict dangerous drugs and hold individuals who are distributing deadly fentanyl through our mail system accountable for their crimes,” said Rep. Pappas. “I’m pleased to reintroduce this bipartisan bill with my colleagues and will continue to support efforts that will combat drug trafficking and save lives."

 “Stopping illegal drugs and contraband before they reach inmates is not just critical for safety and maintaining order, it’s common sense," said Rep. Weber. "Inmates should have zero access to illegal substances. Protecting our hardworking correctional officers from dangerous and deadly drugs smuggled through the mail should never be in question. It must be stopped, and this bill will do just that."

The bill text can be read here.

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