Description:
On September 9, 2020, the House Committee on the Judiciary ordered reported the following pieces of legislation that would make changes to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Diversion Control Program: H.R. 3878, the Block, Report, and Suspend Suspicious Shipments Act of 2019, would require registrants who manufacture, distribute, or dispense controlled substances to take additional steps in reporting suspicious orders, including maintaining a record of due diligence, declining to fill the order, and notifying DEA. H.R. 4806, the DEBAR Act of 2019, would allow the Attorney General to issue an order prohibiting applicants from registering as a manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser of controlled substances if they meet certain criteria. H.R. 4812, the Ensuring Compliance Against Drug Diversion Act of 2019, would terminate authority to manufacture, distribute, or dispense controlled substances when a registrant dies, ceases legal existence, or discontinues business. The Diversion Control Program is funded by registration fees, which are treated in the budget as reductions in direct spending; DEA is authorized to spend those fees without further appropriation. Each bill would either codify existing regulations or clarify procedures already in place. On that basis, and using information from the agency, CBO estimates that under the bill the increase in spending of those fees above current levels would not be significant.
