Omaha City Wire

Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska has introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing fentanyl from entering federal prisons through postal mail. The proposed legislation, H.R. 1046, is titled the "Marc Fischer Memorial Interdiction of Fentanyl in Postal Mail at Federal Prisons Act." It honors Marc Fischer, a Coast Guard veteran and mailroom supervisor who died from fentanyl exposure at Atwater Federal Prison.

The bill addresses a significant increase in drug overdoses within prisons, reportedly rising by 600 percent over recent years due to contraband smuggling via mail. The proposed solution is to require the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to transition to digital mail scanning.

"Digitizing mail has been shown to be an effective method for keeping this deadly drug away from inmates and protecting employees who are tasked with processing the mail," said Rep. Bacon.

Other original cosponsors include House Judiciary Committee Members Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), along with Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Carol Miller (R-WV), Chris Pappas (D-NH), and Randy Weber (R-TX).

Rep. Cuellar stated that modernizing the inmate mail system with digital screening "is a common-sense solution that will save lives across the country."

Rep. Horsford emphasized the potential of digital mail to prevent overdoses: "Every Fentanyl death is a tragedy, and particularly so in our prisons where overdoses can be prevented with commonsense procedural changes."

Rep. Miller highlighted the broader impact of the opioid crisis: "The fentanyl and opioid crises in America have devastated our communities and will continue until we combat the flow of drugs throughout the United States."

Moore noted the lethal potential of fentanyl, saying, "Just one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people."

Rep. Moskowitz stressed modernization as key: "Through this commonsense bill, we’ll modernize the mail system at federal prisons."

Pappas pointed out accountability measures: "Modernizing the mail system at federal prisons will ensure staff can safely interdict dangerous drugs."

Weber concluded by emphasizing safety: "Stopping illegal drugs and contraband before they reach inmates is not just critical for safety and maintaining order; it’s common sense."

The text of H.R. 1046 can be accessed online for further details.