Bill Overview
Title: PREVENT ACT of 2021
Description: This bill requires the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to make containment devices available to its officers, agents, and other personnel and to provide mandatory and recurrent training on the use of containment devices to prevent secondary exposure to fentanyl and other lethal substances.
Sponsors: Rep. Joyce, David P. [R-OH-14]
Target Audience
Population: U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel
Estimated Size: 60000
- The PREVENT ACT of 2021 impacts individuals at risk of secondary exposure to narcotics, specifically U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel.
- U.S. CBP has about 60,000 employees, many of whom are stationed at the borders where fentanyl and other narcotics can be encountered.
- This legislation aims to improve safety and reduce health risks for these personnel when handling narcotics and toxic substances during their duties.
- The implementation of containment devices and training should directly affect CBP personnel by enhancing their safety in operational settings.
Reasoning
- The PREVENT ACT predominantly affects U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel, so the interviews should reflect this demographic.
- Considering the constraints and goals of the act, most interviews should focus on CBP personnel, but not all may be directly affected due to varying roles or levels of exposure risk.
- Budget limitations suggest modest improvements in early years, with greater impact realized as training and devices are fully deployed over time.
- The purpose of the policy is to enhance safety and reduce risks for CBP personnel when exposed to narcotics such as fentanyl, which can have severe health implications.
- Interviews include a range of responses, from those who may see a high impact due to direct contact risks, to those who feel less impact due to either indirect roles or current sufficient safety measures.
Simulated Interviews
CBP Officer (Texas)
Age: 34 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy will significantly enhance our safety during operations handling narcotics.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 4 |
CBP Agent (Arizona)
Age: 29 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Regular training and new devices will provide peace of mind and better protection.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 6 |
CBP Supervisor (California)
Age: 42 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 15.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- My team’s safety is important, and this policy provides much needed updates to our protocol.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 5 |
CBP Analyst (New York)
Age: 31 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy is good but will have minimal impact on my daily work since I'm not on the frontline.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
CBP Officer (Florida)
Age: 50 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This will modernize our operations and improve conditions significantly.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 4 |
CBP Intern (Washington)
Age: 27 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Good to know about the policy, but my role doesn’t involve these risks.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
CBP Canine Handler (New Mexico)
Age: 45 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 15.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Training should extend to canine teams, this policy addresses critical gaps.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 5 |
CBP Administrative Staff (Michigan)
Age: 39 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I see the need, but it doesn't affect my role.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
CBP Support Staff (Georgia)
Age: 36 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy seems necessary for my field colleagues but will not impact my job directly.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 5 |
Retired CBP Officer (New Mexico)
Age: 55 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Such measures are overdue, they should have been in place during my service.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $25000000 (Low: $20000000, High: $35000000)
Year 2: $20000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $30000000)
Year 3: $20000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $30000000)
Year 5: $20000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $30000000)
Year 10: $20000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $30000000)
Year 100: $20000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $30000000)
Key Considerations
- The number of personnel requiring training and protective devices is substantial, given the scale of CBP operations.
- The dynamic nature of narcotics enforcement requires continual adaptation of safety measures and recurrent training.
- Long-term costs might be mitigated by the savings in healthcare and operational efficiencies.