Union Calendar No. 455
116th CONGRESS 2d Session |
[Report No. 116–555]
To authorize implementation grants to community-based nonprofits to operate one-stop reentry centers.
September 4, 2020
Ms. Bass (for herself and Mr. Reschenthaler) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
September 29, 2020
Reported with an amendment; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on September 4, 2020]
To authorize implementation grants to community-based nonprofits to operate one-stop reentry centers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the “The One Stop Shop Community Reentry Program Act of 2020”.
SEC. 2. Community reentry center grant program.
(a) Program authorized.—The Attorney General is authorized to carry out a grant program to make grants to eligible entities for the purpose of creating community reentry centers.
(b) Application requirements.—Each application for a grant under this section shall—
(1) demonstrate a plan to work with community leaders who interact with formerly incarcerated people and their families to—
(2) identify the correctional institutions from which individuals who are released from incarceration are likely to reenter the community served by the community reentry center, and develop a plan, if feasible, to provide transportation for such released individuals to the community reentry center, to the individual’s residence, or to a location where the individual is ordered by a court to report;
(3) demonstrate a plan to provide accessible notice of the location of the reentry intake and coordination center and the services that it will provide (either directly or on a referral basis), including, where feasible, within and outside of correctional institutions identified under paragraph (1);
(4) demonstrate a plan to provide intake and reentry needs assessment that is trauma-informed and gender-responsive after an individual is released from a correctional institution, or, in the case of an individual who is convicted of an offense and not sentenced to a term of imprisonment, after such conviction, and where feasible, before release, to ensure that the individuals served by the center are referred to appropriate reentry services based on the individual’s needs immediately upon release from a correctional institution or after conviction, and continuously thereafter as needed;
(6) demonstrate a plan to continue to provide services (including through referral) for individuals served by the center who move to a different geographic area to ensure appropriate case management, case planning, and access to continuous or new services, where necessary, and based on consistent reevaluation of needs; and
(7) identify specific methods that the community reentry center will employ to achieve performance objectives among the individuals served by the center, including—
(c) Preference.—The Attorney General shall give preference to applicants that demonstrate that they seek to employ individuals who have been convicted of an offense, or served a term of imprisonment and have completed any court-ordered supervision, or that, to the extent allowable by law, employ such formerly incarcerated individuals in positions of responsibility.
(d) Evaluation and report.—
(1) EVALUATION.—The Attorney General shall enter into a contract with a nonprofit organization with expertise in analyzing data related to reentry services and recidivism to monitor and evaluate each recipient of a grant and each community reentry center receiving funds under this section on an ongoing basis.
(2) ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN.—The nonprofit organization described in paragraph (1) shall provide administrative support to assist recipients of grants authorized by this Act to comply with the conditions associated with the receipt of funding from the Department of Justice.
(3) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date on which grants are initially made under this section, and annually thereafter, the Attorney General shall submit to Congress a report on the program, which shall include—
(A) the number of grants made, the number of eligible entities receiving such grants, and the amount of funding distributed to each eligible entity pursuant to this section;
(B) the location of each eligible entity receiving such a grant, and the population served by the community reentry center;
(C) the number of persons who have participated in reentry services offered by a community reentry center, disaggregated by type of services, and success rates of participants in each service to the extent possible;
(D) the number of persons who have participated in reentry services for which they received a referral from a community reentry center, disaggregated by type of services, and success rates of participants in each service;
(E) recidivism rates within the population served by each community reentry center, both before and after receiving a grant under this section;
(e) Definitions.—In this section:
(2) The term “community reentry center” means a center that—
(3) The term “reentry services” means comprehensive and holistic services that improve outcomes for individuals returning to the community after conviction or incarceration, and may include—
(A) seeking and maintaining employment, including through assistance with drafting resumes, establishing emails accounts, locating job solicitations, submitting of job applications, and preparing for interviews;
(C) obtaining free and low-cost job skills classes, including computer skills, technical skills, vocational skills, and any other job-related skills;
(D) locating and maintaining housing, which may include counseling on public housing opportunities, assisting with applications for public housing benefits, locating and securing temporary or long-term shelter, and applying for home energy and utility assistance programs;
(J) legal assistance or referrals for record expungement, forfeiture of property or assets, family law and custody matters, legal aid services (including other civil legal aid services), and relevant civil matters including housing and other issues;
(K) retrieving property or funds retained by the arresting agency or facility of incarceration, or retrieving property or funds obtained while incarcerated;
(N) problem-solving, in coordination with counsel where necessary, any difficulties in compliance with court-ordered supervision requirements, including restrictions on living with certain family members, contact with certain friends, bond requirements, location and residency restrictions, electronic monitoring compliance, court-ordered substance abuse, and other court-ordered requirements;
(O) communication needs, including providing a mobile phone, mobile phone service or access, or internet access;
SEC. 3. Grants for reentry services assistance hotlines.
(a) Grants authorized.—
(b) Hotline requirements.—A grant recipient shall ensure, with respect to a hotline funded by a grant under subsection (a), that—
(1) the hotline directs individuals to local reentry services (as such term is defined in section 2(e));
(2) any personally identifiable information that an individual provides to an agency of the State through the hotline is not directly or indirectly disclosed, without the consent of the individual, to any other agency or entity, or person;
(c) Best practices.—The Attorney General shall issue guidance to grant recipients on best practices for implementing the requirements of subsection (b).
Union Calendar No. 455 | |||||
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[Report No. 116–555] | |||||
A BILL | |||||
To authorize implementation grants to community-based nonprofits to operate one-stop reentry centers. | |||||
September 29, 2020 | |||||
Reported with an amendment; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed |