[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4728 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4728

   To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for free public 
     transportation for individuals who are recently released from 
                             incarceration.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 19, 2023

    Mr. Cleaver (for himself, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Carter of 
Louisiana, Mr. Cardenas, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Wilson of Florida, 
 Ms. Crockett, Mr. Carson, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Frost, Mr. Ivey, and 
Mrs. Foushee) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for free public 
     transportation for individuals who are recently released from 
                             incarceration.

    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 ``Transportation for Reentry Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Access to free public transportation services increases 
        the access that an individual recently released from prison has 
        to a reliable mode of transportation.
            (2) Access to a reliable mode of transportation--
                    (A) promotes the successful reintegration of a 
                returning individual into the community;
                    (B) reduces the likelihood of recidivism;
                    (C) increases the ability of a returning individual 
                to access community services; and
                    (D) helps a returning individual to follow up on 
                referrals from their release plans and to meet initial 
                parole requirements (if applicable).

SEC. 3. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION REENTRY SERVICE.

    (a) Public Transportation Reentry Service.--Chapter 53 of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 5341. Public transportation reentry service
    ``(a) In General.--
            ``(1) Reentry service.--To be eligible for financial 
        assistance under section 5307 or 5311, a covered recipient 
        shall carry out a reentry service program to provide free 
        public transportation to returning individuals.
            ``(2) Duration.--A covered recipient shall provide the 
        reentry service described in paragraph (1) to a returning 
        individual for a 1-year period beginning on the release date of 
        the returning individual.
    ``(b) Requirements.--In carrying out this section, a covered 
recipient shall--
            ``(1) create a system for returning individuals to enroll 
        in the reentry service under this section;
            ``(2) instruct transportation staff on the operation of the 
        reentry service;
            ``(3) collect data on the number of returning individuals 
        who use the reentry service and the frequency of use; and
            ``(4) develop a system to ensure compliance with the 1-year 
        period described in section (a)(2).
    ``(c) Reimbursement.--
            ``(1) Direct costs.--The Secretary may reimburse a covered 
        recipient for the cost of providing to returning individuals 
        the reentry service under this section.
            ``(2) Indirect costs.--The reimbursement that a covered 
        recipient receives may include the costs incurred from the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Development of the reentry service.
                    ``(B) Implementation of the reentry service.
                    ``(C) Operational costs of the reentry service.
                    ``(D) Engagement with technical assistance 
                providers.
                    ``(E) Training on the implementation of the reentry 
                service.
                    ``(F) Outreach to prisons and to the returning 
                individual populations.
                    ``(G) Other uses integral to the successful 
                implementation of the reentry service.
    ``(d) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall issue regulations 
necessary to carry out this section, including regulations that--
            ``(1) promote the coordination of providing technical 
        assistance to a covered recipient;
            ``(2) promote the marketing of the reentry service to 
        ensure that incarcerated and returning individual populations 
        are aware of the reentry service; and
            ``(3) clarify the treatment of a returning individual who 
        resides in different locations, including in different States, 
        during the 1-year period described in subsection (a)(2).
    ``(e) Reporting.--
            ``(1) Covered recipient.--For each year in which a covered 
        recipient receives funds under this section, such recipient 
        shall submit to the National Transit Database an annual report 
        that details the following:
                    ``(A) The number of returning individuals who used 
                the reentry service.
                    ``(B) The number of trips taken.
                    ``(C) An estimate of revenue forgone.
                    ``(D) Any other information that the Secretary 
                determines appropriate.
            ``(2) Federal transit administration.--For each such year, 
        the Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration shall 
        summarize the data reported under paragraph (1) and submit to 
        Congress a report on such data.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Returning individual.--The term `returning 
        individual' means an individual who has been incarcerated for a 
        period of not less than 1 year in Federal or State prison.
            ``(2) Covered recipient.--The term `covered recipient' 
        means a recipient of financial assistance under section 5307 or 
        5311.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 53 of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

``5341. Public transportation reentry service.''.
    (c) Authorizations.--Section 5338(a) of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (C) by striking 
                ``$13,990,000,000'' and inserting ``$14,030,000,000'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (D) by striking 
                ``$14,279,000,000'' and inserting ``$14,319,000,000''; 
                and
                    (C) in subparagraph (E) by striking 
                ``$14,642,000,000'' and inserting ``$14,682,000,000''; 
                and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (C) by striking 
                ``$6,712,987,840 for fiscal year 2024, $6,851,662,142 
                for fiscal year 2025, and $7,025,844,743 for fiscal 
                year 2026'' and inserting ``$6,742,987,840 for fiscal 
                year 2024, $6,881,662,142 for fiscal year 2025, and 
                $7,055,844,743 for fiscal year 2026''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (F) by striking ``$916,907,591 
                for fiscal year 2024, $935,848,712 for fiscal year 
                2025, and $959,639,810 for fiscal year 2026'' and 
                inserting ``$926,907,591 for fiscal year 2024, 
                $945,848,712 for fiscal year 2025, and $969,639,810 for 
                fiscal year 2026''.
    (d) Eligibility as Capital Project.--Section 5302(4) of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (M) by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (N) by striking the period and 
        inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(O) operating, planning, and outreach costs 
                described in section 5341.''.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to 
Congress a report on implementation of section 5341 of title 49, United 
States Code, (as added by this section) that includes--
            (1) details of the implementation and outcome of the 
        program under such section; and
            (2) the impact that providing returning individuals with 
        access to the reentry service under such section has had on 
        recidivism rates of participating returning individuals and on 
        the reentry of such individuals into the community.
    (f) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Urbanized area formula grant.--Section 5307(c)(1) of 
        title 49, United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (K), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(M) will comply with section 5341; and''.
            (2) Formula grants for rural areas.--Section 5311 of title 
        49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new subsection:
    ``(k) Grant Recipient Requirement.--A recipient may receive a grant 
in a fiscal year only if the recipient certifies to the Secretary that 
such recipient will comply with section 5341.''.
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