Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7184

PRESS Act

Illegal Drug Equipment: New Penalties for Pill Presses

Jan 21·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A house committee

The PRESS Act is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and is sitting with the House Energy and Commerce and Judiciary committees. No action has been taken on this bill since January 2026, meaning it has been stalled for about five months. The bill must receive a vote or approval from these committees before it can move forward.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill, introduced by a group of lawmakers led by Mr. McDowell, targets the machines used to make illegal drugs. It makes it a crime to build or sell pill presses and capsule-filling machines if the person knows they will be used to create illegal substances intended for the United States.
The law would allow the U.S. government to prosecute people even if they are living in other countries. This means if someone overseas sells drug-making equipment to a cartel knowing it will be used to send drugs to America, they could face charges in American courts.
This plan aims to stop the production of fake pills, which are often made to look like prescription medicine but contain dangerous chemicals. By making it harder to get the necessary equipment, the government hopes to slow down the illegal drug trade before the products reach the border.
Those who break this law could face up to 8 years in prison. For large-scale operations involving more than 100 machines or massive amounts of materials, the penalty can increase to 15 years.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 21, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Jan 21, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

PRESS Act

Bill NumberHR 7184

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.