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DHS Opioid Detection Resilience Act of 2019

Public Law 116-254 · H.R. 4761 · 116th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Dec 23, 2020 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA-3)

Cosponsors (8): Rep. Yvette Clarke,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 393 yea, 1 nay393–1
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

DHS Opioid Detection Resilience Act of 2019

This bill establishes new requirements related to the detection of illicit narcotics at ports of entry.

Specifically, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must implement a strategy to ensure chemical screening devices are able to identify narcotics at purity levels equal to or less than 10%, or provide an alternate method for identifying narcotics at lower purity levels. The CBP must also test new chemical screening devices at various purity levels before it commits to their acquisition.

Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security must implement a plan for the long-term development of a centralized spectral database for chemical screening devices.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 116th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 393 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

393 yea1 nay36 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(213)

Republicans who voted yea(180)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 654 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 8309Related bill

    Keep America Secure Act

  • S. 3250Related bill

    DHS Opioid Detection Resilience Act of 2020

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 24 actions.

  1. Dec 23, 2020Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-254.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 11, 2020FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 8, 2020FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Dec 7, 2020FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. Jul 29, 2020CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 502.
  7. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson without amendment. With written report No. 116-244.
  8. Mar 11, 2020CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
  9. Dec 10, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  10. Dec 9, 2019FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  11. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 393 - 1 (Roll no. 655).House roll call 655
  12. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  13. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  14. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4761.
  15. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  16. FloorFloor · Ms. Clarke (NY) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  17. Dec 3, 2019CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 260.
  18. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Ways and Means discharged.
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 116-319, Part I.
  20. Oct 23, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported.
  21. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  22. Oct 18, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
  23. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 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.
  24. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.