DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act of 2024
Latest action (4 Dec 2024): Introduced
What this bill does
S. 5426, the DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act of 2024, would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to expand the duties of the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate. Specifically, it directs the Directorate to work with the Drug Enforcement Administration on research, testing, and cost-benefit analyses aimed at improving equipment and reference libraries used to detect drugs such as fentanyl and xylazine. This includes developing portable detection devices requiring minimal sample handling, equipment able to separate complex drug mixtures for field identification, and tools using artificial intelligence or machine learning to predict whether unknown substances are new psychoactive substances not yet catalogued.
The bill primarily affects the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration, which would coordinate this research effort, as well as federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies that would eventually use improved detection equipment. In carrying out this work, the Under Secretary for Science and Technology would be required to follow NIST's AI Risk Management Framework and to set research priorities based on current federal threat assessments, including DHS's Homeland Threat Assessment and DEA's State and Territory Report on Enduring and Emerging Threats. The bill also clarifies that it does not limit the authority of other agencies already involved in managing drug-detection equipment or reference libraries.
The bill was introduced on December 4, 2024, by Senator John Cornyn, with Senators Ossoff and Lankford as cosponsors, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. It did not receive a vote before the end of the 118th Congress, meaning it would need to be reintroduced in a future Congress to be considered further.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
This bill was introduced on December 4, 2024, in a previous session of Congress, but it did not receive a vote.
Common questions
- What does S. 5426 do?
- S. 5426, the DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act of 2024, would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to expand the duties of the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate. Specifically, it directs the Directorate to work with the Drug Enforcement Administration on research, testing, and cost-benefit analyses aimed at improving equipment and reference libraries used to detect drugs such as fentanyl and xylazine. This includes developing portable detection devices requiring minimal sample handling, equipment able to separate complex drug mixtures for field identification, and tools using artificial intelligence or machine learning to predict whether unknown substances are new psychoactive substances not yet catalogued. The bill primarily affects the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration, which would coordinate this research effort, as well as federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies that would eventually use improved detection equipment. In carrying out this work, the Under Secretary for Science and Technology would be required to follow NIST's AI Risk Management Framework and to set research priorities based on current federal threat assessments, including DHS's Homeland Threat Assessment and DEA's State and Territory Report on Enduring and Emerging Threats. The bill also clarifies that it does not limit the authority of other agencies already involved in managing drug-detection equipment or reference libraries. The bill was introduced on December 4, 2024, by Senator John Cornyn, with Senators Ossoff and Lankford as cosponsors, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. It did not receive a vote before the end of the 118th Congress, meaning it would need to be reintroduced in a future Congress to be considered further.
- Has S. 5426 become law?
- Not yet. As of 4 Dec 2024, S. 5426 is introduced.
- Who sponsored S. 5426?
- S. 5426 was sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn [R-TX] (Republican-TX), with 2 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on S. 5426?
- Introduced (4 Dec 2024).
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