[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 68 (Thursday, April 25, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E486-E487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      INTRODUCTION OF THE ENSURING SUCCESSFUL REENTRY ACT OF 2019

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 25, 2019

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, in recognition of April as Second 
Chance Month, I introduce the Ensuring Successful Reentry Act of 2019, 
a bill to eliminate so-called ``subsistence fees.'' Federal law 
currently requires the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to impose a 
subsistence fee on the income of offenders living in residential 
reentry centers (RRCs), supposedly to promote financial responsibility 
by requiring RRC residents to pay a portion of their housing costs. The 
fee is currently 25 percent. However, many offenders living in RRCs 
often work minimum wage jobs, so the loss of 25 percent of their 
paychecks is a significant hurdle to successful reentry, and it makes 
it extremely difficult for them to save money for rent, pay child 
support, or fines and fees associated with their conviction (such as 
restitution). Recently, BOP eliminated the subsistence fee for 
offenders on home confinement, who cost BOP almost nothing for 
maintenance. Far from promoting financial responsibility, subsistence 
fees actually prevent returning citizens from meeting their financial 
obligations.
  The Department of Justice (DOJ) has already recognized how 
``counterproductive'' subsistence fees are, both for offenders and BOP. 
In a November 2016 memo, then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates 
noted that

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BOP's ``process for collecting these subsistence fees is costly and 
administratively burdensome for both RRC's and [BOP],'' and called for 
DOJ to ``develop a plan to limit the use of counterproductive 
`subsistence' fees imposed on indigent residents.'' BOP can already 
waive subsistence fees in certain situations for residents of RRCs, but 
only a change in federal law can remove this unnecessary barrier to 
reentry.
  We should not be imposing additional burdens on returning citizens, 
setting them up to fail, especially those who are employed and working 
toward independence from the criminal justice system. Jobs and 
affordable housing are crucial components in ensuring successful 
reentry--charging subsistence fees is antithetical to this goal. I urge 
my colleagues to support this bill.

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