Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Gabe Evans

Republican on Stop Pills That Kill Act 2026-09-15

464 words · 21 sentences · 27 clauses

Statement grade

A–

Average 86 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Greeting 8%Promise 6%Claims 56%Anecdote 9%Reasoning 4%Procedure 4%Thanks 6%Positioning 3%The ask 3%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Speaker, Greeting · 8 wordsI thank the gentleman from Kentucky for yielding.Greeting Mr. Speaker, Greeting · 30 wordsI am proud to rise today in strong support of my bill to help combat the epidemic of fentanyl deaths that have been driven by the proliferation of counterfeit pills.Greeting Promise · 29 wordsMy bill, the Stop Pills That Kill Act, is commonsense legislation that will help save American lives by cracking down on criminals who traffic poison disguised as prescription drugs.Vague promise Claims · 92 wordsUnder Republican leadership, the United States has thankfully seen a steep decline in monthly synthetic opioid deaths, driven by policies that strengthen border security and target cartels and drug dealers.¹ Unfortunately, my State of Colorado has seen the exact opposite trend, with an average overdose rate of about 800 deaths per month at the end of 2024 increasing to 1,000 deaths now.² Because Colorado’s trends have not matched the Nation and have, in fact, gone the other direction, my State has, unfortunately, seen more than 1,600 tragic and preventable excess overdose deaths.³ Anecdote · 12 wordsI was a cop in the Denver area for over a decade.⁴AnecdoteOff point Reasoning · 18 wordsI know that this figure isn’t just a tragic coincidence. It is a direct result of failed policies. Claims · 40 wordsWhile I was working to keep communities in Colorado safe from the poison that is fentanyl, Denver Democrats chose repeatedly to push soft-on-crime policies that lessened criminal sentencing for drug offenses while refusing to take a hard line on fentanyl. Procedure · 15 wordsThe Stop Pills That Kill Act counteracts these deadly policies by doing three simple things: ProcedureClaims · 84 wordsIt closes a sentencing loophole that allows poison peddlers off with a slap on the wrist. It implements serialization requirements for pill presses and their critical components.⁵ And it makes it illegal to manufacture, distribute, or import pill presses with the intent to illicitly produce a controlled substance.⁶ I will remind my colleagues that every 15 days under the previous administration we lost the same number of Americans to drug overdose deaths that we lost in the entirety of the September 11 terrorist attacks.⁷ Anecdote · 28 wordsI was a cop for 10 years, ⁸and I was a soldier for 12. I deployed to a combat zone as part of the global war on terror, AnecdoteOff pointProcedure · 5 wordsand that statistic speaks volumes.Procedure Claims · 44 wordsWe must remember the impacts that fentanyl has had on hundreds of thousands of American families. During the legislative process, two bills were folded into mine, the Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act, led by Representative Hageman, ⁹and the PRESS Act led by Representative McDowell.¹⁰ Thanks · 30 wordsI thank both of them for their work, but I want to particularly recognize my friend, Mr. McDowell, who tragically lost his own brother to fentanyl nearly 10 years ago.¹¹Thanks Positioning · 15 wordsRepresentative McDowell’s dedication to fighting this crisis is a fitting honor to his brother’s legacy.Positioning Mr. Speaker, The ask · 14 wordsI urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this critically important, commonsense bill.

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 67

11 of 16 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Greetings and pleasantries.What the tags mean “I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for yielding.”A greeting: no claim, reason or ask.
Greetings and pleasantries.What the tags mean “I am proud to rise today in strong support of my bill to help combat the epidemic of fentanyl deaths that have been driven by the proliferation of counterfeit pills.”A greeting: no claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “I was a cop in the Denver area for over a decade.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “The Stop Pills That Kill Act counteracts these deadly policies by doing three simple things:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “I was a cop for 10 years,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “and I was a soldier for 12.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “I deployed to a combat zone as part of the global war on terror,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “and that statistic speaks volumes.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “I thank both of them for their work,”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “but I want to particularly recognize my friend, Mr. McDowell, who tragically lost his own brother to fentanyl nearly 10 years ago.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Representative McDowell’s dedication to fighting this crisis is a fitting honor to his brother’s legacy.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

4 of 16 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.

Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “I was a cop in the Denver area for over a decade.”About the speaker’s own work history, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “I was a cop for 10 years,”About the speaker’s own work history, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “and I was a soldier for 12.”About the speaker’s own work history, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “I deployed to a combat zone as part of the global war on terror,”About the speaker’s own military service, not the bill.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 90

1 of 16 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “will help save American lives”The commitment to saving lives names no measure, date, or success condition by which the effect could be checked.

Claims · 11

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“the United States has thankfully seen a steep decline in monthly synthetic opioid deaths”Monthly synthetic opioid deaths in the United States have seen a steep decline under the current administration.search
2“an average overdose rate of about 800 deaths per month at the end of 2024 increasing to 1,000 deaths now”Colorado’s overdose deaths averaged about 800 per month at the end of 2024 and have risen to about 1,000 per month now.search
3“more than 1,600 tragic and preventable excess overdose deaths”Colorado has had more than 1,600 excess overdose deaths compared with national trends.search
4“I was a cop in the Denver area for over a decade”Gabe Evans worked as a police officer in the Denver area for over a decade.search
5“It implements serialization requirements for pill presses and their critical components”The Stop Pills That Kill Act implements serialization requirements for pill presses and their critical components.search
6“or import pill presses with the intent to illicitly produce a controlled substance.”The Stop Pills That Kill Act makes it illegal to manufacture, distribute, or import pill presses with intent to illicitly produce a controlled substance.search
7“every 15 days under the previous administration we lost the same number of Americans to drug overdose deaths that we lost in the entirety of the September 11 terrorist attacks”Under the previous administration, overdose deaths every 15 days equaled the roughly 3,000 deaths of the September 11 attacks.search
8“I was a cop for 10 years, ”Gabe Evans served as a police officer for 10 years and as a soldier for 12 years.search
9“two bills were folded into mine, the Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act, led by Representative Hageman”The Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act, led by Representative Hageman, was folded into the Stop Pills That Kill Act during the legislative process.search
10“the PRESS Act led by Representative McDowell”The PRESS Act, led by Representative McDowell, was folded into the Stop Pills That Kill Act during the legislative process.search
11“Mr. McDowell, who tragically lost his own brother to fentanyl nearly 10 years ago”Representative McDowell’s brother died of fentanyl nearly 10 years ago.search

Analyzed on 2026-10-17