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Clarion Ledger: Michael Guest proposes bipartisan federal bill aimed at fentanyl trafficking, overdosesRep. Mike Ezell, a Mississippi Republican from the state's fourth district, is a cosponsor.
Jackson, MS | Clarion Ledger Staff,
March 7, 2023
Mississippi Republican Rep. Michael Guest, who represents the state's third district in Congress, reintroduced a bipartisan bill Tuesday targeted at fentanyl trafficking. The END FENTANYL Act, which Guest also proposed last year, would require customs and border protection to update its manuals at least every three years on the prevention of drug and human smuggling. It also would require the commissioner of CBP to report any changes to the House and Senate committees on homeland security and the Senate government affairs committee. In 2019, a study from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found that policies had not been updated in 20 years. Fentanyl is "50 to 100 times more potent than morphine," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and fentanyl overdoses have become the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, according to another set of CDC data. Joining Guest as cosponsors of the bill are three other Republicans and four Democrats. Rep. Mike Ezell, a Mississippi Republican from the state's fourth district, is a cosponsor. Rep. David Trone, D-MD, joined Guest in reintroducing the bill.Clarion Ledger Article |