Government affairs

Today, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced the Screening All Fentanyl-Enhanced Mail Act or “SAFE Mail Act” (H.R. 4102/S. 2323) in the House and Senate respectively. With the number of fentanyl-related overdoses and deaths rising significantly in recent years, Congress has felt pressured to address the nation’s opioid epidemic.

No later than two years after enactment, the identical bills would require the development of technology to detect international mail and express cargo inbound into the United States from high-risk countries that contains illicit fentanyl or other illicit synthetic opioids. The term “high-risk country” refers to any country identified by the Secretary of Homeland Security as being one that poses a high-risk of being a source of international mail inbound to the U.S. and containing fentanyl or other illicit opioids.

No later than five years after enactment, the bills would require that technology to be completely automated in order to screen 100 percent of international mail and express cargo inbound to the U.S. from high-risk countries.

The bill neglects to mention how this system would be funded.

NALC will monitor the status of these bills and keep letter carriers up to date.