,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #cib  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,february #e1       
#bjae,mr4 ,donnelly 7for himself and    
,mrs4 ,capito7 introduced the following 
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a 
,,bill  ,to combat heroin and           
methamphetamine trafficking across the  
,southern border of the ,united ,states1
 and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short    
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,stop ,drugs at the ,border ,act of     
#bjae4  #b4 ,findings  7#a7 ,according  
to ,united ,states ,border ,patrol      
statistics1 seizures of heroin and      
methamphetamine by border patrol agents 
along the ,southwest border are         
increasing4  7#b7 ,between fiscal year  
#bjaa and fiscal year #bjad1 the number 
of heroin seizures at the ,southwest    
border of the ,united ,states increased 
from #he to #ade1 a #ga percent         
increase4 ,the volume of heroin seized  
increased from #f1aia ounces in fiscal  

year #bjaa to #i1bje ounces in fiscal   
year #bjad1 a #di percent increase4     
7#c7 ,the number of methamphetamine     
seizures at the ,southwest border of the
 ,united ,states increased from #dcg in 
fiscal year #bjaa to #gbd in fiscal year
 #bjad1 a #ff percent increase4         
,likewise1 the amount of methamphetamine
 seized at such ,southwest border       
increased by #aje percent1 from #a1hch  
pounds in fiscal year #bjaa to #c1gga   
pounds in fiscal year #bjad4  7#d7      
,similarly1 the ,drug ,enforcement      
,administration reported that total     
heroin seizure volume along the         
,southwest border of the ,united ,states
 has nearly tripled since #bjji1 and the
 total volume of methamphetamine seized 
has quintupled4  7#e7 ,according to the 
#bjad ,national ,drug ,threat           
,assessment ,summary of the ,drug       
,enforcement ,administration1 the threat
 posed by heroin use is increasing      
across the country1 particularly in the 
,northeast and ,midwest4 ,as this threat

 increases1 the ,administration finds   
that seizures at the ,southwest border  
are rising as ,mexican transnational    
criminal organizations increase heroin  
production and transportation4  7#f7    
,heroin overdose deaths continue to     
rise4 ,according to the ,centers for    
,disease ,control1 deaths linked to     
heroin overdoses increased #ci percent  
between #bjab and #bjac4 ,a total of    
#h1beg people died due to heroin use in 
#bjac1 up from #e1ibe in #bjab4  7#g7   
,although progress has been made to     
decrease the prevalence of              
methamphetamine use in the ,united      
,states1 with the number of past month  
users of methamphetamine declining #dj  
percent since #bjjf1 availability       
indicators suggest the supply of        
,mexican methamphetamine is increasing  
in the ,united ,states4  7#h7 ,the #bjad
 ,national ,drug ,threat ,assessment    
,summary of the ,drug ,enforcement      
,administration indicates that higher   
levels of methamphetamine availability  

in the ,united ,states are directly     
related to high levels of               
methamphetamine production in ,mexico4  
,the ,administration finds that the     
majority of methamphetamine available in
 the ,united ,states is produced in     
,mexico4  #c4 ,office of ,national ,drug
 ,control ,policy strategy and plan ,the
 ,director of the ,office of ,national  
,drug ,control ,policy1 in consultation 
with the head of appropriate agencies   
and departments of the ,united ,states1 
shall ensure that the first update of   
the ,national ,southwest ,border        
,counternarcotics ,strategy published   
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act specifically addresses any         
increased heroin and methamphetamine    
trafficking occurring along the         
international border between the ,united
 ,states and ,mexico4  #d4 ,u4,s4       
,customs and ,border ,protection ,report
  7a7 ,requirement for report ,not later
 than #abj days after the date of the   
enactment of this ,act1 the head of     

,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection 
shall submit to ,congress a report on   
any new resources needed by ,u4,s4      
,customs and ,border ,protection and its
 law enforcement partners to respond to 
increased heroin and methamphetamine    
trafficking occurring along the         
international border between the ,united
 ,states and ,mexico4  7b7 ,content ,the
 report required by subsection 7a7 shall
 include-- 7#a7 a description of any new
 technology1 equipment1 personnel1 or   
other resources the head of ,u4,s4      
,customs and ,border ,protection        
determines are needed to respond to     
increased heroin and methamphetamine    
trafficking occurring along the         
international border between the ,united
 ,states and ,mexico2 and  7#b7 an      
estimate of the funding required to     
enable ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border      
,protection to respond to such          
trafficking4