3.0.0 1699 2023-01-11T13:27:59Z 2023-01-11T13:27:59Z House HR 2015-03-26 114 [Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 51 (Thursday, March 26, 2015)]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan:H.R. 1699.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3--To regulate Commerce withforeign Nations, and among the several States, and with theIndian Tribes.Amendment X--Nothing in the Constitution authorizes theFederal government to do anything other than those thingsenumerated (coin money, enter into treaties, conduct aCensus--which are inherently governmental). Thus, underAmendment X, the right to carry out commercial activities isreserved to the States, respectively, or to the people.[Page H2114]]]> hsju00 Judiciary Committee House Standing hsju08 Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee Referred to 2015-04-29T15:08:34Z Referred to 2015-03-26T13:03:40Z 2015-04-29 hsju08 Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee 1 House committee actions Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. Committee 2015-03-26 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. IntroReferral H11100 2 House floor actions hsju00 Judiciary Committee 2015-03-26 Introduced in House IntroReferral Intro-H 9 Library of Congress 2015-03-26 Introduced in House IntroReferral 1000 9 Library of Congress H001058 Rep. Huizenga, Bill [R-MI-2] Bill Huizenga R MI 2 N M000087 Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [D-NY-12] CAROLYN MALONEY D NY B. 12 2015-03-26 True F000461 Rep. Flores, Bill [R-TX-17] Bill Flores R TX 17 2015-04-28 False M001182 Rep. Mulvaney, Mick [R-SC-5] Mick Mulvaney R SC 5 2015-04-29 False P000606 Rep. Pittenger, Robert [R-NC-9] Robert Pittenger R NC 9 2015-04-29 False S000250 Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-32] PETE SESSIONS R TX 32 2015-05-13 False Crime and Law Enforcement Academic performance and assessments Administrative law and regulatory procedures Administrative remedies Charitable contributions Competition and antitrust Congressional oversight Corporate finance and management Correctional facilities and imprisonment Employment and training programs Employment discrimination and employee rights Executive agency funding and structure Federal Prison Industries, Inc. Federal officials Government corporations and government-sponsored enterprises Government studies and investigations Public contracts and procurement Vocational and technical education Wages and earnings Crime and Law Enforcement 00 2015-03-26 Introduced in House 2015-06-16T19:02:36Z Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2015

Amends federal criminal code provisions relating to Federal Prison Industries, Incorporated (FPI) to establish governmentwide procurement policies for purchases from FPI based upon competitive procedures. Specifies conditions under which a contract award may be made to FPI using other than competitive procedures.

Revises rulemaking procedures for approving new FPI products or services. Requires the Chief Operating Officer of FPI to submit a proposal for new FPI products or services to the Board of Directors of FPI with a detailed analysis of the probable impact on the private sector of a proposed expansion of sales from such new products or services.

Prohibits the total dollar value of FPI sales to the federal government in FY2016-FY2020 from exceeding specified percentages of FPI sales for a base period.

Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to require the head of an executive agency, before purchasing a product listed in the latest FPI catalog, to conduct market research to determine whether the FPI product is comparable to products available from the private sector that best meet the agency's needs in terms of price, quality, and time of delivery.

Requires the Board of Directors of FPI to prescribe hourly wage rates for inmates performing work for or through FPI. Requires: (1) an hourly minimum rate of not less than $2.50 for inmates whose term of imprisonment will expire in not more than two years, and (2) a biannual review of inmate wage rates.

Directs the Board of Directors of FPI, not later than September 30, 2016, to increase the maximum wage rate for inmates to 50% of the minimum wage rate under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and to 100% of such wage rate not later than September 30, 2021.

Establishes within the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBP) the Enhanced In-Prison Educational and Vocational Assessment and Training Program to provide: (1) in-prison assessments of inmates' needs and aptitudes, (2) a full range of educational opportunities, (3) vocational training and apprenticeships, and (4) comprehensive release-readiness preparation.

Amends the federal criminal code to authorize inmates with work assignments within FPI to perform work for a tax-exempt charity, religious organization, or local governmental unit or school district (eligible entities) that have an agreement with FPI. Establishes the position of Inmate Work Training Administrator to create alternative inmate work opportunities within eligible entities.

Directs the Chief Operating Officer of FPI to develop proposals to have FPI donate products and services to charitable organizations that provide goods or services to low-income individuals.

Establishes within the FBP the Cognitive Abilities Assessment Demonstration Program to assess the cognitive abilities and perceptual skills of inmates to prepare such inmates to return to society and reduce recidivism. Requires such demonstration program to be conducted for three consecutive fiscal years beginning during FY2016 at 12 federal correctional institutions and to be offered to 6,000 inmates who are within 5 years of release.

Requires the Director of the FBP to offer prerelease employment assistance to inmates.

Authorizes private for-profit business entities to participate in work-based training and apprenticeship programs for federal prison inmates.

Prohibits FPI from directly offering for commercial sale products produced or services furnished by federal inmates, including through any form of electronic commerce.

Terminates authority for inmate work-based training programs after September 30, 2022, and requires all agreements relating to such programs to be performed before October 1, 2027.

Directs the Government Accountability Office to undertake an on-going assessment of inmate work-based training programs.

Requires the Director of FBP to be appointed by the President (currently, by the Attorney General).

Requires the Board of Directors of FPI to issue regulations defining "prison-made product," "prison-furnished service," "specific product," and "specific service."

]]> Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2015 Display Title Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2015 Official Title as Introduced To amend title 18, United States Code, to require Federal Prison Industries to compete for its contracts minimizing its unfair competition with private sector firms and their non-inmate workers and empowering Federal agencies to get the best value for taxpayers' dollars, to provide a five-year period during which Federal Prison Industries adjusts to obtaining inmate work opportunities through other than its mandatory source status, to enhance inmate access to remedial and vocational opportunities and other rehabilitative opportunities to better prepare inmates for a successful return to society, to authorize alternative inmate work opportunities in support of non-profit organizations and other public service programs, and for other purposes. Introduced in House IH Short Titles as Introduced Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2015 Introduced in House 2015-03-26T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114hr1699ih/xml/BILLS-114hr1699ih.xml 2015-04-29 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.