WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) celebrated the passage of her legislation, H.R. 7837, the bipartisan Enhancing Intelligence Collection on Foreign Drug Traffickers Act of 2024. Houlahan’s legislation was successfully included as an amendment to the larger FISA reauthorization package. Her bipartisan bill, co-led by Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), would pave the way for the U.S. government to seek, and for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to approve, the creation of a fourth certification focused on international drug production, distribution, and financing of fentanyl.

WATCH: Houlahan spoke on the House floor in support of her bill, which can be found here.

“I’m thrilled my commonsense effort was passed by the House! By expanding Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to include the targeting of international drug trafficking networks, we are taking decisive action to combat the devastating impact of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, on our communities,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan. “This bill not only enhances our ability to disrupt these transnational criminal operations but also underscores our commitment to safeguarding public health and safety. Together, we are advancing vital measures to confront the opioid epidemic head-on and protect the well-being of all Americans."

“Drug traffickers like the Sinaloa cartel and CJNG are a national security threat, and yet we are purposefully tying our own hands in the fight against them and their affiliates,” said Congressman Dan Crenshaw. “This bill will refocus our intelligence collection on the cartels.”

Houlahan and Crenshaw’s bill was included as part of the full FISA reauthorization, which passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 273-147.

Background:

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorizes the intelligence community to collect the electronic communications of a non-U.S. person, located outside the United States, who possesses foreign intelligence information. The current categories of foreign intelligence information authorized to be collected by targeting these non-U.S. persons are covered by only three “certifications”:

1. Foreign governments and related entities
2. Counterterrorism
3. Combatting proliferation

H.R. 7837 Summary:

Today, the intelligence community can only target narco-traffickers if they have a connection to the above three certifications. This legislation is a modified version of Section 511 of H.R.6611, the HPSCI-passed FISA Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2023. It modifies the definition of “foreign intelligence information” in FISA to include information that relates to the “international production, distribution, or financing of illicit synthetic drugs, opioids, cocaine, or other drugs driving overdose deaths, or precursors of any aforementioned.”

This legislation would finally pave the way for the U.S. government to seek, and for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to approve, the creation of a fourth certification focused on international drug production, distribution, and financing of fentanyl.

Read the full text of the bill here.

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is the recipient of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward” and the Congressional Management Foundation’s 2022 Democracy Award for best Constituent Services in Congress.

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