Ending Drug Trafficking in Our Communities Act
This bill, titled the Ending Drug Trafficking in Our Communities Act, would reauthorize the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program under the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998 and increase funding for the program. Specifically, it would authorize $400,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2031 to support HIDTA activities. In addition, starting in fiscal year 2026, it creates a formal process for identifying and disseminating “promising practices” to improve HIDTA efficiency and effectiveness. The Director would review promising practices to see if they help with overdose-tracking investigations, information sharing and coordination across federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local partners, and the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based prevention programs. If a promising practice shows potential, the Director would develop it for use by all HIDTAs and promulgate it to them.
Key Points
- 1Reauthorization of the HIDTA Program with new funding: $400,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2031.
- 2Introduction of a formal “Promising Practices” framework starting in FY 2026, to identify, evaluate, develop, and disseminate effective approaches across HIDTAs.
- 3Required focus areas for promising practices: (i) investigation of entities trafficking drugs linked to overdose within a HIDTA, (ii) information sharing and coordination for drug- and firearm-related crimes across federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local partners, and (iii) the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based substance use disorder prevention programs.
- 4For promising practices with potential, the Director must develop them for use by each HIDTA and promulgate them to all HIDTAs.
- 5The act is titled the “Ending Drug Trafficking in Our Communities Act” and is aimed at strengthening and modernizing HIDTA operations.