[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 8, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H7004-H7007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE ONE STOP SHOP COMMUNITY REENTRY PROGRAM ACT OF 2020
Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 8161) to authorize implementation grants to community-based
nonprofits to operate one-stop reentry centers, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 8161
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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--
(A) identify specific strategies and approaches to
providing reentry services;
(B) develop a needs assessment tool to survey or conduct
focus groups with community members in order to identify--
(i) the needs of individuals returning to the community
after conviction or incarceration, and the barriers such
individuals face; and
(ii) the needs of the families and communities to which
such individuals are returning; and
(C) use the information gathered pursuant to subparagraph
(B) to determine the reentry services to be provided by the
community reentry center;
(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;
(5) demonstrate a plan to provide the reentry services
identified in paragraph (1)(C);
(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--
(A) increased access to and participation in reentry
services;
(B) reduction in recidivism rates;
(C) increased numbers of individuals obtaining and
retaining employment;
(D) increased enrollment in and degrees earned from
educational programs, including high school, GED, and
institutions of higher education;
(E) increased numbers of individuals obtaining and
maintaining housing; and
(F) increased self-reports of successful community living,
including stability of living situation and positive family
relationships.
(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;
(F) the numbers of individuals obtaining and retaining
employment within the population served by each community
reentry center, both before and after receiving a grant under
this section; and
(G) the number of individuals obtaining and maintaining
housing within the population served by each community
reentry center, both before and after receiving a grant under
this section.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``eligible entity'' means a community-based
nonprofit organization that--
(A) has expertise in the provision of reentry services; and
(B) is located in a geographic area that has
disproportionately high numbers of residents, when compared
to the local community, who--
(i) have been arrested;
(ii) have been convicted of a criminal offense; and
(iii) return to such geographic area after incarceration.
(2) The term ``community reentry center'' means a center
that--
(A) offers intake, reentry needs assessments, case
management, and case planning for reentry services for
individuals returning to the community after conviction or
incarceration;
(B) provides the reentry services identified under
subsection (b)(1)(C) at a single location; and
(C) provides referrals to appropriate service providers
based on the assessment of needs of the individuals.
(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;
(B) placement in job placement programs that partner with
private employers;
(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;
(E) obtaining identification cards and driver's licenses;
(F) registering to vote, and applying for voting rights to
be restored, where permitted by law;
(G) applying for or accessing GED courses;
(H) applying for loans for and admission to institutions of
higher education;
(I) financial counseling;
(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;
(L) transportation, including through provision of transit
fare;
(M) familial counseling;
(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;
(P) applying for State or Federal government benefits,
where eligible, and assisting in locating free or reduced
cost food and sustenance benefits;
(Q) life skills assistance;
(R) mentorship;
(S) medical and mental health services, and cognitive-
behavioral programming;
(T) substance abuse treatment;
(U) reactivation, application for, and maintenance of
professional or other licenses; and
(V) providing case management services, in connection with
court-orders terms of release, or
[[Page H7005]]
other local publicly supported social work case management.
(4) The term ``community leader'' means an individual who
serves the community in a leadership role, including--
(A) a school official;
(B) a faith leader;
(C) a social service provider;
(D) a member of a neighborhood association;
(E) a public safety representative;
(F) an employee of an organization that provides reentry
services;
(G) a member of a civic or volunteer group related to the
provision of reentry services;
(H) a health care professional; or
(I) an employee of a State, local, or tribal government
agency with expertise in the provision of reentry services.
(5) The term ``success rate'' means the rate of recidivism
(as measured by a subsequent conviction or return to prison),
job placement, permanent housing placement, or completion of
certification, trade, or other education program.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025 to
carry out this section.
(2) Equitable distribution.--The Attorney General shall
ensure that grants awarded under this section are equitably
distributed among the geographical regions and between urban
and rural populations, including Indian Tribes, consistent
with the objective of reducing recidivism.
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR REENTRY SERVICES ASSISTANCE HOTLINES.
(a) Grants Authorized.--
(1) In general.--The Attorney General is authorized to make
grants to States and units of local government to operate
reentry services assistance hotlines that are toll-free and
operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
(2) Grant period.--A grant made under paragraph (1) shall
be for a period of not more than 5 years.
(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;
(3) the staff members who operate the hotline are trained
to be knowledgeable about--
(A) applicable Federal, State, and local reentry services;
and
(B) the unique barriers to successful reentry into the
community after a person has been convicted or incarcerated;
(4) the hotline is accessible to--
(A) individuals with limited English proficiency, where
appropriate; and
(B) individuals with disabilities;
(5) the hotline has the capability to engage with
individuals using text messages.
(c) Best Practices.--The Attorney General shall issue
guidance to grant recipients on best practices for
implementing the requirements of subsection (b).
(d) Preference.--The Attorney General shall give preference
to applicants that demonstrate that they seek to employ
individuals to operate the hotline who have been convicted of
an offense, or have served a term of imprisonment and have
completed any court-ordered supervision.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2021
through 2025 to carry out this section.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Bass) and the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr.
Armstrong) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
General Leave
Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I am proud to be the author of H.R. 8161, The One Stop
Shop Community Reentry Program Act of 2020, and I urge my colleagues to
support this important reentry measure and pass this bipartisan bill
today.
I would like to take a moment to give a special thanks to
Representative Guy Reschenthaler for his support.
H.R. 8161 will provide much-needed resources to especially
communities with a disproportionate number of returning citizens. The
idea of the bill is to provide grants to establish a centralized
process to assist individuals returning to their communities after
incarceration. It acts as a bridge by providing guidance to those who
are leaving prison and jails on how to become productive members of
their communities.
The concept of the bill is that funding would be provided to
communities and neighborhoods to establish programs where people who
are formerly incarcerated can run the program to essentially be a hand-
holding bridge for people who are coming out of facilities to help them
reintegrate into the community.
Many things that we might take for granted, such as getting your ID,
getting a driver's license, paying your back child support, learning
how to use transportation or the latest technology are things that can
lead to recidivism for people if they are not able to reintegrate.
If you don't have a driver's license and you come from communities
like mine in Los Angeles, without a car, it is virtually impossible to
have a job that would allow you to support yourself.
Establishing a one-stop center where formerly incarcerated people are
involved in every aspect of the management and running of the center
will allow people to be reintegrated.
This Congress, in a series of hearings, the Judiciary Committee heard
the challenges faced by people who are recently released. Sadly, these
stories have only gotten worse over the years because, as we have
incarcerated more people, we have also passed laws that essentially do
not allow them to function in the legal economy, and we shouldn't be
surprised when people recidivate.
For example, in some prisons, we have training programs. In
California, we had a training program to teach people who were
incarcerated how to be barbers, but then we passed laws that said we
wouldn't allow formerly incarcerated people to get a barber's license.
So that type of reintegration bridge is what this bill addressed.
As we have passed policies that lead formerly incarcerated people
outside of the legal economy, in these communities where there is a
disproportionate number, you actually can see an increase in crime
rate, because people will do whatever is needed to survive, and many
times that means going back to illegal activity.
Each year, over 650,000 people are released from custody. Finding
jobs, job training, housing, and placement, or even finding a hot meal
can be challenging. For many, these barriers seem insurmountable. This
is especially true for individuals who are returning to their
communities and might have substance abuse, mental health disorders, or
educational challenges.
We already know that many people who are incarcerated do not have a
high school diploma. So a one-stop community center can help them get
the resources and the training that they need so that they can become
productive citizens.
During our hearings, we heard great examples of community leaders who
are doing this work with minimal resources. Susan Burton, for example,
the founder of A New Way of Life in Los Angeles, transports women as
soon as they are released and provides them a safe place to live.
Criminal justice advocates Andrea James, Conan Harris, and Big John,
from Los Angeles, have testified before the Subcommittee on Crime,
Terrorism, and Homeland Security. They highlighted the importance of
starting reentry services on the very first day someone enters into
custody.
H.R. 8161 transforms obstacles into bridges. That is why having all
reentry services in one place is so critical. Trained staff and peer
mentors can guide returning individuals through the process of finding
a safe place to sleep, apply for benefits, addressing family
reunification, and starting the process of gaining employment.
Importantly, one-stop centers will be led by and employ formerly
incarcerated individuals who can act as mentors. They can provide
direct services to recently released individuals. This will give them
the wherewithal they need to meet the challenges before them.
{time} 1615
H.R. 8161 provides support for smaller or rural communities that are
not large enough to support a large one-stop operation. So it
authorizes the Department of Justice to establish a 24/7 reentry
service assistance hotline to direct recently released individuals to
appropriate reentry services in their localities.
It is important to remember that the vast majority of the 2.3 million
people
[[Page H7006]]
who are currently in custody will be released. Without the right types
of support, they are highly likely to recidivate. No reentering person,
regardless of where they live, should be left wondering how to
establish their life and find gainful employment.
Our bipartisan bill provides communities with desperately needed
resources to assist returning citizens in their efforts to successfully
rejoin their communities. Between the one-stop center and the 24/7
hotline, Congress is again providing leadership on reentry issues and,
in turn, promoting public safety.
This is a bipartisan effort, and again, I want to thank my colleagues
for their cosponsorship and for working with me on this issue.
For the foregoing reasons, I urge my colleagues to join in supporting
this important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, successful prisoner reentry into society is critical
to reducing recidivism, improving public safety, and saving taxpayer
dollars.
We have seen successful criminal justice reform programs, including
reentry programs, work in both Republican- and Democratic-led States,
including North Dakota. Successful reentry programs often utilize
community-based groups like F5 in my home State.
Likewise, President Trump has been a leader in criminal justice
reform. He and his administration have signed bipartisan legislation,
such as the First Step Act, to make our Federal criminal justice system
fair.
The First Step Act reauthorized programs that support State, local,
and Tribal governments and nonprofit organizations in their work to
reduce recidivism and to help people returning to society from
incarceration.
H.R. 8161, the One Stop Shop Community Reentry Program Act of 2020,
will build on the administration's strong criminal justice reform
initiatives. This bill will provide grants for the purpose of creating
a unified location for reentry services in the communities that serve
former prisoners. These facilities will include job training,
counseling, substance abuse treatment, education, and medical services,
among others.
All of the data suggests that the most vulnerable time for someone
being released from incarceration is within the first 30 days after
release. I have seen this frustration firsthand as clients and
offenders encounter unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles when trying to
rebuild their lives. They must obtain housing, find a job, adhere to
probation requirements, among many other tasks. That struggle is
especially difficult when the individual suffers from substance abuse
or, as Congresswoman Bass suggested, lacks even a high school
education.
These one-stop centers will help break the cycle of addiction and
recidivism. This bill complements the recidivism reduction programs
funded by the Second Chance Act and reauthorized by President Trump.
I am pleased our colleagues recognize the administration's criminal
justice successes and the bipartisan effort on these bills.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, for the roughly 10 million people who,
each year, reenter communities from jail or prison, the consequences of
a criminal sentence can last a lifetime, creating barriers to accessing
safe housing, employment, and even something as basic as a government
ID.
As the mayor of Providence, I assembled a reentry council to bring
together community leaders, including religious leaders, employers, and
housing professionals, to help people returning to their communities
with the goal of giving people a chance to fully reenter society after
they have completed their sentence.
During my time as mayor, I saw how providing community-based reentry
services helps to ensure that justice-involved individuals have the
support they need for smooth transition back into society.
When formerly incarcerated people have access to their basic needs
being met, like food assistance and employment opportunities, it can
significantly reduce the likelihood they will commit a new offense and,
as a result, make our communities safer. It gives returning citizens
the ability to provide for themselves, for their families, and to be
productive members of their communities.
That is why I am proud to support H.R. 8161, the One Stop Shop
Community Reentry Program Act, which provides 5-year grants to
community-based organizations and other eligible entities to create
community reentry centers.
The One Stop Shop Community Reentry Program Act incentivizes
community-based solutions to overcoming barriers to housing, education,
employment, and healthcare. It seeks to end the revolving door of
recidivism. It promotes healing by encouraging treatment and family
counseling. It helps people navigate life after prison and successfully
reenter their communities. It makes our communities safer and gives
people a fair shot at a second chance, a chance at redemption, and a
chance at success.
Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairwoman Bass for her extraordinary
leadership on H.R. 8161, and I urge all of my colleagues to support
this excellent legislation.
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I just want to take this opportunity to say this is a
great bill and there are great people in government at the State,
Federal, and local level who really do care and help to try and
do these things, and we have come a long way in the last 5 to 10 years
on a lot of these issues.
But I think it is really important to recognize that, oftentimes, the
best people in organizations to help people reenter into society are
often former felons themselves who have gone through these processes
and have started community-based organizations and have continued to
work with new people coming out of prison.
While we have to treat criminal justice and we have to treat serious
offenses in the manner that is deserving of what they are, we also
believe in rehabilitation; and what we do with that, particularly more
than anything else, is a return on investment because, as we can get
these people through this process and keep them out of the revolving
door that can sometimes occur in the criminal justice system, we save
people's lives, we save families, and we actually save taxpayer money.
This is a great bill, and I appreciate everybody's work on it.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, the overwhelming majority of incarcerated
individuals are released from jail or prison and returned to their
communities. This bill would take meaningful steps to make the reentry
process more efficient and, ultimately, more successful.
Along with the 24/7 reentry hotline, community-funded reentry
programs, like the services included in this bill, will reduce
recidivism and improve overall community safety. These individuals will
be able to successfully rejoin and contribute to their families and
communities. That is why this bill is so important.
In our Nation, we used to believe that, if you committed a crime and
you served your time in prison, you were able to reenter society. This
bill is a return to that time period.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this
bill. I thank my colleague, Representative Armstrong, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary,
Committee, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8161, the ``One Stop Shop
Community Reentry Program Act of 2020,'' which creates a new grant
program that will provide money to States, Tribes, local governments,
and community-based non-profits to create one-stop reentry centers to
assist people who were recently released from jail or prison.
The bill would also create a grant program for a toll-free hotline
for returning individuals to access reentry services.
As one who has worked on community reentry and recidivism reduction
for most of tenure on this Committee, I am proud to join Crime
Subcommittee Chair Karen Bass (D-CA) as a cosponsor of this
legislation.
There are currently over 2.1 million people incarcerated in local,
state, and federal correctional facilities, a number that represents a
[[Page H7007]]
more than 500 percent increase in the incarcerated population over the
last 40 years.
Over 95 percent of people currently incarcerated will eventually be
released back to their communities.
In fact, approximately 600,000 people are released from custody every
year and at the end of 2016, an estimated 4.5 million adults were under
community supervision, which includes probation or parole.
Reentry services are essential for this population, to ensure that
these individuals transition smoothly out of jail and prison and to
keep recidivism to a minimum.
The recidivism rates for individuals leaving prisons remain high, and
a large number of those released from prison will ultimately find
themselves back in the criminal legal system.
A 2018 study found that 83 percent of people released from prisons in
2005 were arrested at least once during the nine years following their
release, and of those released from state prisons, 44 percent were
arrested at least once in the year immediately following their release.
Lack of access to resources upon release leads to a cycle of rearrest
and reincarceration that some scholars call the ``revolving door'' to
prison.
This cycle of recidivism has tremendous financial consequences--the
United States spends over $80 billion dollars a year on incarceration--
not to mention the human toll it takes on families and communities.
The cycle of release, rearrest, and reincarceration, also costs state
and local communities over $100 million in policing and judicial
administration costs.
While some returning individuals have a release plan, many people are
released from custody with only their personal property, little money,
and no place to go.
The result of not having a reentry plan can be ruinous.
In the last decade, policymakers have begun to measure the effects of
reentry on returning individuals, their families, and their
communities.
Studies show that most people enter the prison system with low levels
of education, limited work experience, substance abuse issues, and
mental health infirmities, and that these same issues are still present
when a person is released from prison.
Without appropriate reentry services to assist them, many returning
citizens find themselves back in the criminal justice system.
H.R. 8161 provides grants to community-based organizations for the
creation of one-stop reentry centers, which would combine the provision
of various reentry services in one location, thus making it easier for
returning citizens to access them.
The one-stop shop model that this legislation promotes would aim to
provide complete reentry services to address the critical elements of
the reentry process that promote long-term reentry success.
The one-stop centers would include support personnel, who themselves
are formerly incarcerated individuals, to provide direct support for
recently released individuals.
In addition, where reentry services may not logistically be able to
be placed in a single geographic location, this legislation authorizes
the Attorney General to fund States and local jurisdictions to
establish 24/7 reentry service assistance hotlines that direct recently
released individuals to appropriate reentry resources.
I urge all Members to join me in voting for H.R. 8161, the ``One Stop
Shop Community Reentry Program Act of 2020.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 8161, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________