Schumer, officials to urge House action on fentanyl sanctions bill

Sen. Chuck Schumer will join with Long Island law enforcement officials Monday to push for congressional passage of a bill that will sanction Chinese drug manufacturers, banks and criminal organizations involved the illicit transport of fentanyl into the United States. 

The Fentanyl Sanctions Act, sponsored by the Senate minority leader from New York and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), would impose financial sanctions on those playing a role in the foreign trafficking of fentanyl. It also sets aside $450 million to help fund anti-opioid efforts by Long Island law enforcement agencies, according to a spokesman for Schumer. 

Suffolk District Attorney Timothy Sini, Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas, Suffolk Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart and Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder are scheduled to join Schumer to urge passage of the bill at an 11 a.m. news conference at the Nassau police department’s First Precinct in Baldwin. 

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that has been linked to numerous overdose deaths on Long Island and across the nation in recent years. 

The Fentanyl Sanctions Act has already passed the Senate, but a spokesman for Schumer said the New York senator wants the bill to be approved as quickly as possible by the House of Representatives.