HR 4645
NARCO Act of 2025
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Bill overview
This bill, the New Authorities Reforming Counter-narcotic Operations Act of 2025 (NARCO Act of 2025), amends the State Department’s Basic Authorities Act to expand the Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs’ role. It clarifies the Assistant Secretary’s responsibilities regarding international narcotics control, combating transnational crime, strengthening foreign justice systems, and administering rewards programs, with a focus on countering threats to U.S. national security. The bill also emphasizes coordination with various U.S. government agencies and the intelligence community.
Key provisions
- Expands the Assistant Secretary’s responsibilities to include coordinating with intelligence community and other agencies.
- Requires the Assistant Secretary to prioritize combating transnational criminal organizations and designated foreign terrorist organizations.
- Authorizes the Assistant Secretary to issue rewards and bounties for information leading to the capture or interdiction of criminals.
- Mandates training and equipping foreign law enforcement officials, with vetting requirements.
- Directs the Assistant Secretary to strengthen foreign justice systems, including judicial and prosecutorial capacity.
- Requires the Assistant Secretary to develop a searchable database of Bureau programming and spending.
- Establishes metrics for evaluating Bureau programs beyond drug seizure numbers.
- Requires annual certification regarding compliance with the Foreign Service Act of 1980.
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. R. 4645
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to modify the authorities of the Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
This Act may be cited as the New Authorities Reforming Counter-narcotic Operations Act of 2025 NARCO Act of 2025
or the
.
Section 1(c)(3) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a(c)(3)) is amended—
in subparagraph (A), by adding at the end the following: The Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs shall report to the Under Secretary for International Security Affairs.
; and
by striking subparagraphs (B) and (C) and inserting the following:
Combating international narcotics production and trafficking as well as illicit finance and materials used by transnational criminal organizations, cartels and foreign terror organizations that threaten United States national security.
Strengthening foreign justice systems, including judicial and prosecutorial capacity, appeals systems, law enforcement agencies, prison systems, and the sharing of recovered assets. The Secretary shall allocate no more than 10 percent of total grant funding to activities under this clause.
Training and equipping foreign police, border control, other government officials, and other civilian law enforcement authorities for anti-crime purposes, including ensuring that no foreign security unit or member of such unit receives such assistance from the United States Government without appropriate vetting.
Prioritizing administering the Narcotics Rewards Program and the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program by issuing bounties and rewards to capture and interdict persons and materials of criminal nature that threaten homeland security. The Secretary shall ensure that at minimum 20 percent of the annual budget authority of the Bureau is utilized by the Narcotics Rewards Program and the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program for respective bounties and rewards.
Coordinating with the intelligence community, the Department of Treasury, the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security to ensure a full spectrum response to international criminal issues that threaten the lives and well being of United States citizens.
Combating, in conjunction with other relevant bureaus of the Department of State and other United States Government agencies, all forms of transnational organized crime, including human trafficking, illegal immigration, illicit trafficking in arms, wildlife, and cultural property, migrant smuggling, corruption, money laundering, the illicit smuggling of bulk cash, the licit use of financial systems for malign purposes, and other new and emerging forms of crime including the actions of transnational criminal organizations and designated foreign terrorist organizations. The Secretary shall prioritize counteraction of transnational criminal organizations whose actions imperil the lives and securities of United States citizens particularly through narcotics trafficking. The Secretary shall also prioritize the counteraction of designated foreign terrorist organizations including narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, illegal immigration, weapons smuggling and other avenues of illicit finance that further terrorist activities that threaten United States homeland security.
Carrying out timely and substantive consultation with chiefs of mission and, as appropriate, the heads of other United States Government agencies to ensure effective coordination of all international narcotics and law enforcement programs carried out overseas by the Department and such other agencies.
Coordinating with the Office of National Drug Control Policy to ensure lessons learned from other United States Government agencies are available to the Bureau.
Developing standard requirements for monitoring and evaluation of Bureau programs, including metrics for success that do not rely solely on the amounts of illegal drugs that are produced or seized.
Performing such other duties as the Under Secretary for International Security Affairs may from time to time designate.
Nothing in this paragraph may be construed to limit or impair the authority or responsibility of any other Federal agency with respect to law enforcement, domestic security operations, or intelligence activities as defined in Executive Order 12333.