Washington, June 13 -- Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 2351. Gillen, a Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is the Democratic co-lead of the bipartisan legislation, which strengthens maritime law enforcement by enabling the US Coast Guard to respond to opioid overdoses. The legislation now goes to the Senate for consideration:

"Our brave Coast Guardsmen are the first line of defense against illegal drug trafficking on our waters," said Congresswoman Gillen. "This commonsense, bipartisan bill will save lives by ensuring that the Coast Guard has the tools they need to combat opioid overdoses and closing loopholes that drug traffickers seek to exploi...