# Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2023: Plain Language Summary

This bill is designed to crack down on fentanyl production and trafficking coming from China. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that's become a major driver of overdose deaths in the United States, and much of the fentanyl and its chemical ingredients come from Chinese manufacturers. The bill gives the U.S. government stronger tools to punish Chinese companies and officials who are involved in making or distributing fentanyl and the raw chemicals used to make it.

The main action is expanding who can be targeted with sanctions—financial penalties and restrictions that make it harder for them to do business. Under this bill, the President can now sanction Chinese companies that produce fentanyl or its precursor chemicals if those companies aren't taking real steps to prevent their products from being used illegally. The bill also allows sanctions against Chinese government officials who oversee these industries or fail to help stop fentanyl trafficking. This is a significant expansion because it directly targets government officials, not just private companies. The bill specifically mentions officials from China's National Narcotics Control Commission, Ministry of Public Security, Customs Administration, and drug approval agency as potential targets for investigation.

The bill also makes some technical changes to how the government can enforce sanctions. It extends the time period for prosecuting violations from five to ten years, giving authorities more time to build cases. It also requires the President to report annually to Congress about whether the sanctions are actually working to stop fentanyl trafficking, and to explain any changes being made to the approach. These reporting requirements are meant to ensure the government stays focused on the goal of reducing fentanyl flow into the United States rather than letting sanctions become permanent without reassessing their effectiveness.

Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2023

Barr, Andy

Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2023 This bill makes changes to various laws pertaining to sanctions, including by revising the definition of what constitutes a foreign opioid trafficker. Specifically, for the purposes of the Fentanyl Sanctions Act, the bill changes the definition of foreign opioid trafficker to specify that the term includes certain Chinese entities and government officials that fail to take steps to prevent opioid trafficking, potentially subjecting them to sanctions. The bill imposes additional requirements before the President can publish regulations under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which authorizes the President to regulate a variety of economic transactions following a declaration of national emergency. For example, the President must consider the costs and benefits of available statutory and regulatory alternatives prior to publishing such regulations. The bill also provides 10-year statutes of limitation for violations of two federal laws that authorize sanctions (the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act).