River Bend Times

Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) has announced the reintroduction of the Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to address the sale of fentanyl on social media platforms by requiring these companies to notify federal law enforcement when such illicit drug activity is detected.

The bill, co-led by Congresswoman Angie Craig (D-MN), targets social media companies and communication service providers, urging them to alert authorities about fentanyl trafficking on their platforms. "Fentanyl is tearing apart families and devastating communities across America," said Miller-Meeks. "The Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act gives law enforcement the tools they need to stop the online sale of deadly fentanyl."

Rep. Craig added, "Fentanyl has wreaked havoc on Minnesota communities, and we know that too many fentanyl overdoses have been caused by drugs that were sold through social media."

Named after teenagers Cooper Davis from Kansas and Devin Norring from Minnesota, who died after taking counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl purchased via Snapchat, the bill seeks to hold tech companies accountable for drug trafficking on their platforms.

The National Crime Prevention Council estimates that eight in ten teen and young adult fentanyl overdose deaths are linked to social media contact. Families affected by this crisis have expressed support for the legislation. The family of Devin J. Norring stated, “This bill honors the lives of Cooper and Devin by holding tech companies accountable.”

Libby Davis, mother of Cooper Davis, commented on the addition of another name to the bill: “We are both honored and saddened...the harsh reality is that there are thousands of other teenagers' names that could be added.”

This initiative builds upon Miller-Meeks’ ongoing efforts against fentanyl policy. Recently, President Trump signed into law a related measure known as the HALT Fentanyl Act.

Endorsements for this act come from several organizations including Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse and Snap, Inc., among others.

In addition to its introduction in the House with support from Representatives like Kim Schrier (D-WA) and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), it is also sponsored in the Senate by Roger Marshall (R-KS) along with other senators.