Ohio Law Enforcement and Medical Professionals Praise Sherrod for Passing Bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act

COLUMBUS, OH  – Yesterday, Ohio law enforcement and medical professionals “praised” and “applauded” Sherrod for his “work across the aisle” to pass the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which was signed into law last week and has been described as a “game changer” in the fight against fentanyl. Sherrod worked with Republicans during the “year-long” fight to pass this legislation to protect Ohioans from dangerous fentanyl by cracking down on the chemical suppliers in China and drug traffickers in Mexico.

Sherrod’s work with Republicans to keep Ohioans and law enforcement safe from dangerous fentanyl stands in “bright contrast” to Bernie Moreno, who said he “reject[s]” bipartisanship and opposed the FEND Off Fentanyl Act. Sherrod’s legislation was endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police and law enforcement officers across Ohio.

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The Vindicator: Sen. Brown touts bill combating fentanyl trafficking
Chris McBride – April 30, 2024

• U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, flanked by area law enforcement officials, made an appearance Monday at the Covelli Center in downtown Youngstown touting the passage of the Fend Off Fentanyl Act.
• The bill, which Brown sponsored, primarily focuses on the urgent need to confront the grave consequences of fentanyl across the country and in Ohio, including in the Mahoning Valley.
• Brown underscored the bipartisan effort that resulted in the bill’s passage, explaining its targeted approach to combating cartels and holding Chinese chemical companies accountable for their role in fentanyl production and smuggling into the United States.
• Brown collaborated on the bill with Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, to bring it to fruition. In his address, Brown shared alarming statistics, stating, “400 people die each month from fentanyl exposure. That’s 400 people, families, living in communities just like this. We had to take action.”
• “Targeting the traffickers and dismantling their fentanyl distribution networks is a huge step toward eliminating this dangerous drug from entering our communities. We will support community outreach and education initiatives to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and the legal consequences of trafficking,” [Mahoning County Prosecutor Gina DeGenova] said.
• “The rate is a national emergency here in the great state of Ohio and in the city of Youngstown in our Mahoning Valley. The crisis has reached catastrophic levels,” [Youngstown Police Department Captain Jason Simon] said.
• He praised Brown’s efforts and emphasized the importance of the Fend Off Fentanyl Act.
• “Obviously, this is a bill that affects fentanyl on a national and international level. As it becomes more challenging for fentanyl to come into our country, which is what this bill aims to do, the less of it should get to our streets,” Simon said.

Mahoning Matters: Sherrod Brown visits Youngstown after FEND Off Fentanyl signed into law
Kelcey Norris – April 30, 2024

• Sen. Sherrod Brown met with local law enforcement leaders and criminal justice representatives from Mahoning County today to commemorate the year-long effort to pass FEND Off Fentanyl.
• “As prosecutor, I see firsthand how fentanyl can impact our community. In the last fifteen months alone, 172 individuals have been prosecuted for fentanyl related crimes, including trafficking. I applaud the hard work of Senator Brown to get the FEND Off Fentanyl Act signed into law. This drug is deadly and its distribution onto our streets must be stopped,” said Mahoning County Prosecutor Gina DeGenova.
• Sen. Brown worked with Ohio law enforcement to craft the legislation aimed at stopping the problem from the source, like City of Youngstown Police Chief Carl Davis and Simon.
• “Many of the ideas in this bill came from law enforcement,” Brown said. “It gives federal law enforcement the opportunity and requirement to go after these cartels.”
• “Now law enforcement are empowered to go after the bank accounts, go after the traffickers, go after transportation, anybody that’s making money from this and that should mean that there’s less of this stuff in the country,” Brown said.
• “The heartbreak and secondary trauma endured by mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, friends and even children of our victims cannot be easily healed. As a community, we have an obligation to help those who need us,” Simon said. “As law enforcement professionals, our duty extends beyond that to try and put an end to the influx and use of fentanyl that is flooding our cities by arresting those responsible. Senator Brown’s initiative and leadership in composing and passing the bi-partisan and law enforcement-supported ‘FEND Off Fentanyl Act’ will instill some much-needed tools to help us with that goal.”

WFMJ: Lawmakers pass act to bring harsher sanctions against drug makers and cartels
Jeena Cadigan – April 29, 2024

• [FEND Off] increases the penalty for chemical makers and cartels bringing in the drugs. It also puts the Department of Treasury in a position to look into suspicious transactions to try and cut off the money supply of the institutions funding the traffickers.
• Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, who sponsors the bill, said if they cut off the money at the top local communities will see less of the drug. 
• In Ohio, 400 people die a month from fentanyl exposure.
• “If that’s not a national emergency I’m not sure what we’re going to call it at this point,” Captain Jason Simon of YPD said. “…The crisis has reached catastrophic levels.”
• Local prosecutors also recognize the severity of the fentanyl and its risks to all ages.

WKBN: Ohio Law Enforcement Celebrate Sherrod’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act