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119th Congress

H.R. 27

HALT Fentanyl Act

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed House
  4. Passed Senate
  5. To President
  6. Became law
Sponsor
H. Morgan Griffith(R-VA)
Introduced
Jan 3, 2025
Policy area
Crime and Law Enforcement
Committees
House Committee on Energy and Commerce; House Committee on the Judiciary; Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Official text
Referred in Senate · Congress.gov page

Cosponsors (61)

Original cosponsors (26)
Added later (35)

Summary

Summary by the Congressional Research Service· describes the “Introduced in House” version

Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act or the HALT Fentanyl Act This bill permanently places fentanyl-related substances as a class into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act. Under the bill, offenses involving fentanyl-related substances are triggered by the same quantity thresholds and subject to the same penalties as offenses involving fentanyl analogues (e.g., offenses involving 100 grams or more trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term). Additionally, the bill establishes a new, alternative registration process for certain schedule I research. The bill also makes several other changes to registration requirements for conducting research with controlled substances, including • permitting a single registration for related research sites in certain circumstances, • waiving the requirement for a new inspection in certain situations, and • allowing a registered researcher to perform certain manufacturing activities with small quantities of a substance without obtaining a manufacturing registration. Finally, the bill expresses the sense that Congress agrees with the interpretation of Controlled Substances Act in United States v. McCray, a 2018 case decided by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. In that case, the court held that butyryl fentanyl, a controlled substance, can be considered an analogue of fentanyl even though, under the Controlled Substances Act, the term controlled substance analogue specifically excludes a controlled substance.

Roll-call votes

DateVoteResultYour members
Feb 6, 2025
House #33		On Passage: HALT Fentanyl ActPassedSet your home to see
Feb 6, 2025
House #32		On Agreeing to the AmendmentFailedSet your home to see

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