Honoring the men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration on the 50th anniversary of the agency.

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 501 Honoring the men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration on the 50th anniversary of the agency. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 13, 2023 Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky (for himself and Mr. CARTWRIGHT) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Honoring the men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration on the 50th anniversary of the agency. Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘DEA’’) was— (1) established by an Executive order on July 1, 1973; and (2) given the responsibility to coordinate the whole of the Federal Government’s approach related to the en- forcement of the Controlled Substances Act; Whereas the more than 10,000 men and women of the DEA, including special agents, intelligence research specialists, diversion investigators, program analysts, forensic chem- ists, attorneys, and administrative support staff, as well as more than 3,000 task force officers, representing hun- VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jun 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR501.IH HR501 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HRES 501 IH dreds of State and local law enforcement agencies across the country— (1) serve the United States with courage; and (2) are committed to serving and protecting the pub- lic safety, public health, and national security of the peo- ple of the United States from drug trafficking, drug mis- use, and related violence; Whereas, during the 50 years since the establishment of the DEA, the agency has targeted and dismantled transnational drug trafficking organizations and brought to justice the most dangerous and prolific drug traf- ficking criminals from around the world; Whereas throughout the 50-year history of the DEA, the agency has continually adapted to evolving trends of major transnational drug cartels, targeting the organiza- tions involved in the manufacturing, trafficking, and dis- tribution of drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, controlled prescription drugs, and other synthetic opioids; Whereas the DEA has deployed enforcement and regulatory tools and strategies to address the threat posed by new synthetic opioid substances, which— (1) mimic the effects of known licit and illicit con- trolled substances, including fentanyl; (2) are largely responsible for driving the opioid epi- demic that claimed the lives of more than 107,000 indi- viduals in the United States in 2021; and (3) present the most significant threat to public health, public safety, and the national security of the United States; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jun 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR501.IH HR501 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HRES 501 IH Whereas with 93 foreign offices located in 69 countries, the DEA has the largest international presence of any Fed- eral law enforcement agency, facilitating— (1) close collaboration with international partners around the world, through information-sharing, training, and technology; and (2) the provision of resources that have resulted in the disruption or dismantling of hundreds of transnational criminal organizations around the world; Whereas throughout the history of the DEA, employees and members of the agency’s task forces have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, including Emir Benitez, Gerald Sawyer, Leslie S. Grosso, Nickolas Fragos, Mary M. Keehan, Charles H. Mann, Anna Y. Mounger, Anna J. Pope, Martha D. Skeels, Mary P. Sullivan, Larry D. Wallace, Ralph N. Shaw, James T. Lunn, Octavio Gon- zalez, Francis J. Miller, Robert C. Lightfoot, Thomas J. Devine, Larry N. Carwell, Marcellus Ward, Enrique S. Camarena, James A. Avant, Charles M. Bassing, Kevin L. Brosch, Susan M. Hoefler, William Ramos, Raymond J. Stastny, Arthur L. Cash, Terry W. McNett, George M. Montoya, Paul S. Seema, Everett E. Hatcher, Rickie C. Finley, Joseph T. Aversa, Wallie Howard, Jr., Eugene T. McCarthy, Alan H. Winn, George D. Althouse, Becky L. Dwojeski, Stephen J. Strehl, Richard E. Fass, Frank Fernandez, Jr., Jay W. Seale, Meredith Thompson, Juan C. Vars, Frank S. Wallace, Jr., Shelly D. Bland, Rona L. Chafey, Carrol June Fields, Carrie A. Lenz, Kenneth G. McCullough, Shaun E. Curl, Larry Steilen, Royce D. Tramel, Alice Faye Hall-Walton, Elton Lee Armstead, Terry Loftus, Donald C. Ware, Jay Balchunas, Thomas J. Byrne, Jr., Samuel Hicks, Forrest N. Leamon, Chad L. Michael, Michael E. Weston, James Terry Watson, VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jun 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR501.IH HR501 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HRES 501 IH Brent L. Hanger, Jorge R. DelRio, Stephen C. Arnold, Michael G. Garbo, and Jody W. Cash; and Whereas many other DEA employees and task force officers have been wounded or injured in the line of duty, includ- ing 79 who have received the DEA Purple Heart Award: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) congratulates the Drug Enforcement Ad- 2 ministration on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; 3 (2) honors the heroic dedication of the employ- 4 ees of the agency who have paid the ultimate price 5 and sacrificed their lives or who have been wounded 6 or injured in the service of the United States; and 7 (3) gives heartfelt thanks to all the men and 8 women of the Drug Enforcement Administration for 9 their past and continued efforts to protect the health 10 and safety of the people of the United States from 11 transnational criminal networks and drugs causing 12 harm, violence, and death in our communities. 13 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jun 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR501.IH HR501 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB