Des Moines Sun

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has joined forces with Senators Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) to reintroduce the Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to mandate social media companies and communication service providers to report illegal drug sales on their platforms. The data collected would aid state and local law enforcement in addressing online drug trafficking and prosecuting offenders.

"Fentanyl overdoses claim the lives of tens-of-thousands of Americans each year, many of whom suffered accidental poisonings after taking deadly pills marketed on social media platforms," said Grassley. "After successfully passing the HALT Fentanyl Act into law, Senate Republicans are continuing to advance legislation to combat America’s fentanyl crisis and save lives. Congress must hold Big Tech accountable for its ongoing role in the illicit drug trade."

Senator Marshall highlighted the impact of fentanyl in Kansas, stating, "For four years, Joe Biden’s reckless open borders allowed fentanyl to flood our communities, creating a crisis in every state. We still lose a Kansan a day to fentanyl poisoning." He referenced Cooper Davis, a young man from Johnson County who died after consuming a pill laced with fentanyl purchased via Snapchat. "The Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act requires social media platforms to report any drug activity on their platform to law enforcement," he added.

The bill is supported by Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). It has also garnered endorsements from several organizations including the families of Cooper Davis and Devin Norring.

Libby Davis, mother of Cooper Davis, expressed gratitude for the legislative efforts: "Our family continues to be extremely grateful for Senator Marshall and his colleagues’ dedication to this legislation... We need our legislators to come together and get this bipartisan bill across the finish line so that countless children can be saved."

The family of Devin J. Norring echoed similar sentiments: "Our family & the Devin J. Norring Foundation wholeheartedly support the Cooper Davis & Devin Norring Act – legislation that serves as a critical step toward protecting families from the deadly threat of fentanyl sold through social media."

The act is named after two young men who died due to fentanyl poisoning after purchasing counterfeit pills through social media platforms. Their families have since established foundations aimed at raising awareness about these dangers.