Pappas, Bacon Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Keep Fentanyl Out of Prisons
Yesterday Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Don Bacon (NE-02) introduced the bipartisan Marc Fischer Memorial Interdiction of Fentanyl in Postal Mail at Federal Prisons Act. 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. This bipartisan legislation would modernize mail scanning at the Bureau of Prisons to protect inmates and prison employees.
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. The legislation is named for Marc Fischer, a mailroom supervisor and Coast Guard veteran who died at Atwater Federal Prison from fentanyl exposure and would require the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to develop a plan to transition to digital mail scanning to strengthen security measures and help prevent deadly exposures moving forward.
“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.”
“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.”
In introducing this bipartisan legislation, Pappas and Bacon were also joined by Representatives Barry Moore (AL-01), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Carol Miller (WV-01), and Randy Weber (TX-14).
The bill text can be read here.