A Republican bill with 7 Democratic cosponsors · See all 15 cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act amends the Controlled Substances Act to regulate tableting and encapsulating machines and their critical parts. It requires regulated persons to identify these machines and parts using permanently affixed serial numbers. These serial numbers must be included in reports to the Attorney General. The bill also makes it illegal to remove, alter, or obliterate these serial numbers. Additionally, it prohibits the transport or sale of these machines if the serial number has been removed or altered.
Yes· 3 of 6
- Scored +6
Does this do more about addiction and overdose deaths?
Helps combat the illicit manufacture of counterfeit pills by tracking equipment used to make them.
- Scored +3
Would children be better off under this?
Reduces the availability of illicitly manufactured pills which often affect youth.
- Scored +3
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?
Reduces the availability of illicitly manufactured pills which often affect young adults.
The opposite
- Scored -3
Would business owners be better off under this?
Increases compliance costs and administrative burdens for owners of affected machinery.
- Scored -3
Does this leave more decisions to the states?
Shifts regulatory authority over equipment tracking to the federal government.
- Scored -2
Does this make it easier to run a small business?
Increases compliance and reporting burdens for businesses manufacturing or distributing pill presses.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Tracking of Machinery: By requiring serial numbers to be engraved or permanently affixed to machines and critical parts, the bill allows for better identification of equipment used in pill production (Section 2(b)(1)).
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Increased Accountability: The requirement for regulated persons to report serial numbers to the Attorney General creates a record of transactions involving this equipment (Section 2(b)(2)).
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Prevention of Illegal Alterations: The bill creates penalties for those who remove, alter, or obliterate serial numbers or deal in equipment where serial numbers have been tampered with (Section 2(c)(10) and (11)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Burden on Regulated Persons: People who manufacture, distribute, import, or export these machines and parts must now follow new identification and reporting requirements (Section 2(a) and 2(b)(1)).
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Compliance Requirements for Older Equipment: The Attorney General must provide guidance for machines and parts manufactured on or before the date of enactment, which may create a compliance task for owners of older equipment (Section 2(b)(3)(B)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would children be better off under this? — Reduces the availability of illicitly manufactured pills which often affect youth. Would students be better off under this? — Contributes to public health by reducing the supply of counterfeit pharmaceuticals in communities. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Reduces the availability of illicitly manufactured pills which often affect young adults. Would business owners be better off under this? — Increases compliance costs and administrative burdens for owners of affected machinery.
- Healthcare
- Does this do more about addiction and overdose deaths? — Helps combat the illicit manufacture of counterfeit pills by tracking equipment used to make them.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make it easier to run a small business? — Increases compliance and reporting burdens for businesses manufacturing or distributing pill presses.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this tighten control of the border? — Increases oversight of imported pill pressing equipment.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — Expands the authority of the Attorney General to regulate and track specific machinery. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — Shifts regulatory authority over equipment tracking to the federal government.
- 9/14/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 2/12/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 1/6/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 10/28/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 9/30/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 9/18/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 5 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Marsha BlackburnRepublican · Tennessee
Maria CantwellDemocrat · Washington
Shelley CapitoRepublican · West Virginia
Christopher CoonsDemocrat · Delaware
Catherine Cortez MastoDemocrat · Nevada
John FettermanDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Ruben GallegoDemocrat · Arizona
Maggie HassanDemocrat · New Hampshire
Cindy Hyde-SmithRepublican · Mississippi
Amy KlobucharDemocrat · Minnesota
Angus KingIndependent · Maine
Jerry MoranRepublican · Kansas
David McCormickRepublican · Pennsylvania
Ashley MoodyRepublican · Florida
Thomas TillisRepublican · North Carolina