[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7730 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7730
To require a GAO study on the sale of illicit drugs online, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 19, 2024
Ms. Spanberger (for herself, Mr. Hunt, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, and
Mr. Crenshaw) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on
the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require a GAO study on the sale of illicit drugs online, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Targeting Online Sales of Fentanyl
Act''.
SEC. 2. GAO STUDY ON THE SALE OF ILLICIT DRUGS ONLINE.
(a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
conduct a study on the online sale of fentanyl and methamphetamine,
including--
(1) business models employed by online sellers of fentanyl
and methamphetamine, including an examination of supply chains,
logistics, and strategies utilized for customer acquisition,
retention, and communication within illicit online
marketplaces;
(2) utilization of online illicit drug markets and
providers (as defined in section 2258E of title 18, United
States Code) for facilitating financial transactions in the
online sale of fentanyl and methamphetamine, with a particular
focus on their impact on individuals who are 18 years of age
and younger;
(3) efforts of the Federal Government to combat the online
sale of fentanyl and methamphetamine, including--
(A) interagency collaboration, including personnel
detailed to other agencies to support efforts to combat
the online trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine,
and related illicit finance;
(B) intergovernmental collaboration between the
Federal Government and State, Tribal, local, and
foreign governments;
(C) intersectoral collaboration with the private
sector, including businesses and non-governmental
organizations;
(D) examination of existing procedures followed by
Federal law enforcement agencies in handling cases
related to online sales of fentanyl and
methamphetamine, encompassing the receipt,
investigation, and prosecution processes;
(E) analysis of aggregated outcomes from the past
10 years to identify patterns and areas for
improvement; and
(F) identification of gaps or resource deficiencies
in coordinating and collaborating activities described
in subparagraphs (A) through (E) to combat the online
sale of fentanyl and methamphetamine;
(4) models utilized by providers, including machine
learning, algorithmic technology, and data analysis techniques,
to effectively detect and combat the sale of fentanyl and
methamphetamine on their platforms;
(5) enforcement mechanisms and processes employed by
providers to penalize users involved in the sale of fentanyl
and methamphetamine, including user identification,
verification procedures, and subsequent actions, such as
account suspension, reporting to law enforcement agencies, and
collaboration with legal proceedings; and
(6) analysis of referrals to the Federal Government by
providers detailing information about online sales of fentanyl
and methamphetamine, including--
(A) the number of referrals from providers to the
Federal Government;
(B) the number of referrals that were investigated
by the Federal Government, including the agencies
involved in the investigation and the outcome of the
investigation;
(C) the number of referrals that resulted in an
arrest, prosecution, or conviction, including the
offense of the arrest, prosecution, or conviction; and
(D) the number of referrals that were shared by the
Federal Government with a State, Tribal, or local
government, including a law enforcement agency or
prosecutor's office.
(b) Report Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall submit to Congress a report containing all findings and
determinations made in carrying out the study required under subsection
(a).
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