Trump signs opioid package into law

Legislation will require advance electronic data for international postal shipments and will strengthen the alcohol and drug testing program for transportation workers.    President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed legislation that will require the U.S. Postal Service to transmit advance electronic data to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for international shipments and will strengthen the Transportation Department’s alcohol and drug testing regime for transportation workers.
   The package, H.R. 6, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, includes Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act provisions that will require USPS to transmit advance electronic data to CBP on at least 70 percent of international mail arriving in the United States by Dec. 31 and on 100 percent of such mail on Dec. 31, 2020, before these shipments reach the U.S. border.
   The legislation requires USPS to refuse shipments for which the data is not provided and sets forth civil penalties if USPS accepts international mail shipments without the advance data starting in 2021.
   Further, the law includes provisions sponsored by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., that will expand railroad drug and alcohol testing requirements to rail mechanical employees and yardmasters, require DOT to create a publicly available database of drug and alcohol testing data, and provide increased oversight of legally required safety improvements, among other things.
   House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, immediately after Trump’s signature released a statement praising enactment of the law, which combines more than 70 House and Senate bills to address the opioid crisis.
   “Congress came together in a strong bipartisan way to give needed help to our communities who are at the forefront of fighting the opioid crisis,” Brady said. “This law is an important step forward in defeating this crisis, and it will save lives and make towns across the country safer.”