Sponsors (8)
The bill directs significant, targeted federal funding and staffing to strengthen fentanyl interdiction and prosecution and improves HIDTA reporting, trading taxpayer cost, potential diversion of prosecutorial focus, and civil liberties/data-sharing risks for increased law-enforcement capacity and transparency.
Law enforcement agencies (federal, state, and local) receive sustained federal funding ($333M/year for FY2029–2030) to expand fentanyl interdiction and seizures, increasing resources to remove illicit opioids from circulation.
Federal prosecutors and investigative teams gain temporary additional resources (including AUSA reassignments) to prioritize and prosecute fentanyl cases, boosting federal capacity to pursue traffickers.
HIDTA programs must report fentanyl seizure quantities, regional threat data, and identify program limitations with recommended fixes, improving transparency and enabling more data-driven targeting and resource allocation.
Taxpayers face increased federal spending ($333M/year) that could raise costs or crowd out other federal priorities or programs.
Reassigning AUSAs and prioritizing fentanyl prosecutions may divert federal prosecutorial resources away from other crimes or local priorities, potentially delaying non‑fentanyl cases.
Expanded enforcement focus and increased data collection/sharing on fentanyl could raise privacy and civil liberties concerns for individuals and communities if protections are insufficient.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 27, 2025 by Mark Edward Kelly · Last progress February 27, 2025
Requires the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program to expand reporting and prioritize fentanyl interdiction and prosecution, and directs the Attorney General to provide temporary investigative and prosecutorial resources (including reassignment of assistant U.S. attorneys) to HIDTA regions for fentanyl-related investigations. It also authorizes a HIDTA funding level of $333,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2025–2030 and adds new reporting and planning requirements to document fentanyl seizures, investigations, and regional threat data.