Dear Representatives Evans and Gray,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our support for H.R. 5573, the “Combatting Fentanyl Poisonings Act.”
The bill creates a comprehensive grant initiative through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne-JAG) program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat fentanyl by supporting law enforcement and community organizations with resources to stop dealers, protect officers, and educate young people. It provides funding to State and local law enforcement to target fentanyl dealers—particularly those operating on social media—and to provide training for schools, clinicians, and the public on preventing overdoses.
Additional resources are directed to non-profits to educate youth about the dangers of fentanyl, fund educational materials, support victim-family speakers, and distribute naloxone, while prohibiting spending on certain harm-reduction tools. The grant would also reserve some funding to equip and train officers with protective tools such as naloxone, test strips, and detection equipment to keep them safe when encountering fentanyl in the field. As long as fentanyl continues to permeate our communities, it remains critical that we implement safeguards to ensure the maximum deterrence of its distribution and usage.
On behalf of the more than 382,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I thank you both for your leadership on this important issue. If I can provide any additional information about this bill, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in our Washington, D.C. office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President