WASHINGTON -- The House on Friday passed Rep. John Katko's bill aimed at combating the opioid epidemic by making it easier for the federal government to stop the importation and distribution of synthetic drugs.
But Democrats who opposed the bill warned the law would also impose mandatory minimum sentences, filling up the nation's prisons with low-level drug offenders rather than expanding treatment options.
The bill passed 239-142 in the Republican-controlled House. It now moves to the Senate, where a bipartisan companion bill is sponsored by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
"This is really a game-changer for law enforcement," Katko said in an interview minutes before the vote. He said the bill will cut down the amount of time it takes to have new synthetic drugs declared controlled substances from four years to about 30 days.
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer said before the vote that the bill could have unintended consequences.
"This legislation lacks clarity that could result in thousands of Americans being incarcerated, potentially for life sentences, thus exacerbating an already over-populated prison system," Hoyer said. "Those suffering from opioid addiction need treatment and proper medical care, not more laws that will simply put them behind bars."
Katko, R-Camillus, said his bill, the "Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues (SITSA) Act," will not put drug users or low-level drug offenders in prison.
"The only time mandatory minimums could be applicable is if you could prove the drug dealer supplied drugs to someone that died as a result," he said.
Katko, a former federal organized crime prosecutor, said the changes in sentencing guidelines apply only to federal cases, reserved for major drug crimes. He said cases involving "small-time dealers" are handled in state courts.
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