[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 172 (Wednesday, October 30, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6303-S6304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. McCONNELL (for himself, Mr. Lee, Ms. Sinema, and Mr. 
        Paul):
  S. 2742. A bill to require the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to 
be appointed by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text 
of the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2742

       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 ``Federal Prisons 
     Accountability Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) The Director of the Bureau of Prisons leads a law 
     enforcement component of the Department of Justice with a 
     budget that exceeds $7,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2018.
       (2) With the exception of the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation, the Bureau of Prisons has the largest 
     operating budget of any unit within the Department of 
     Justice.
       (3) The Director of the Bureau of Prisons oversees 122 
     facilities and is responsible for the welfare of more than 
     176,000 Federal inmates.
       (4) The Director of the Bureau of Prisons supervises more 
     than 36,000 employees, many of whom operate in hazardous 
     environments that involve regular interaction with violent 
     offenders.
       (5) Within the Department of Justice, in addition to those 
     officials who oversee litigating components, the Director of 
     the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the 
     Director of the Community Relations Service, the Director of 
     the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Director of the 
     Office on Violence Against Women, the Administrator of the 
     Drug Enforcement Administration, the Deputy Administrator of 
     the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Director of the 
     United States Marshals Service, 94 United States Marshals, 
     the Inspector General of the Department of Justice, and the 
     Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment 
     Practices, are all appointed by the President by and with the 
     advice and consent of the Senate.
       (6) Despite the significant budget of the Bureau of Prisons 
     and the vast number of people under the responsibility of the 
     Director of the Bureau of Prisons, the Director is not 
     appointed by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

     SEC. 3. DIRECTOR OF THE BUREAU OF PRISONS.

       (a) In General.--Section 4041 of title 18, United States 
     Code, is amended by striking ``appointed by and serving 
     directly under the Attorney General.'' and inserting the 
     following: ``who shall be appointed by the President, by and 
     with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Director shall 
     serve directly under the Attorney General.''.
       (b) Incumbent.--Notwithstanding the amendment made by 
     subsection (a), the individual serving as the Director of the 
     Bureau of Prisons on the date of enactment of this Act may 
     serve as the Director of the Bureau of Prisons until the date 
     that is 3 months after the date of enactment of this Act.
       (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be 
     construed to limit the ability of the President to appoint 
     the individual serving as the Director of the Bureau of 
     Prisons on the date of enactment of this Act to the position 
     of the Director of the Bureau of Prisons in accordance with 
     section 4041 of title 18, United States Code, as amended by 
     subsection (a).
       (d) Term.--
       (1) In general.--Section 4041 of title 18, United States 
     Code, as amended by subsection (a), is amended by inserting 
     after ``consent of the Senate.'' the following: ``The 
     Director shall be appointed for a term of 10 years, except 
     that an individual appointed to the position of Director may 
     continue to serve in that position until another individual 
     is appointed to that position, by and with the advice and 
     consent of the Senate. An individual may not serve more than 
     1 term as Director.''.
       (2) Applicability.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
     shall apply to appointments made on or after the date of 
     enactment of this Act.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. SCHUMER (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Durbin, 
        Mr. Peters, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Reed, Ms. 
        Stabenow, and Mr. Warner):
  S. 2755. A bill to require a report on the plan to secure the 
enduring defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria; read the first 
time.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2755

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. REPORT ON THE PLAN TO SECURE THE ENDURING DEFEAT 
                   OF THE ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND SYRIA.

       (a) Report Required.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the President shall, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of 
     State, the Director of National Intelligence, the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development, and the heads of other appropriate agencies of 
     the United States Government, submit to Congress a report 
     that describes the strategy of the United States to secure 
     the enduring defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria 
     (ISIS) and al Qaeda in the Middle East.
       (b) Elements.--The report required under subsection (a) 
     shall include, at a minimum, the following elements:
       (1) A description of--
       (A) the key United States security interests and the 
     political and military objectives, long-term goals, and 
     desired end-states for Syria; and
       (B) how current military, diplomatic, and humanitarian 
     assistance efforts in Syria align with such objectives.
       (2) Analysis of the threats posed to United States 
     interests by ISIS, al Qaeda, Hizballah, Russian, Iranian, and 
     other non-state activities in Syria and the region.
       (3) An intelligence assessment of the historic and current 
     force strength of ISIS and al Qaeda, and the location of such 
     forces in Syria and the region.
       (4) An intelligence assessment of the impact that the death 
     of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and other senior ISIS 
     leaders will have on the organization.
       (5) A description of ongoing United States and coalition 
     programs to build the capacity of local forces to counter 
     ISIS and al Qaeda, including programs for training and 
     equipping guard forces at detention facilities for detained 
     ISIS fighters operated by the Syrian Democratic Forces.
       (6) A description of past, present, and planned efforts by 
     the United States and international community to stabilize 
     areas liberated from ISIS control, including efforts to 
     establish local governance and provide basic services.
       (7) A description of--
       (A) the current detention population of detention 
     facilities operated by the Syrian Democratic Forces;
       (B) the number of ISIS detainees who have escaped such 
     facilities since October 1, 2019;
       (C) efforts to convince the governments of third countries 
     to repatriate and prosecute ISIS detainees who are nationals 
     of their countries; and
       (D) efforts to ensure that United States support for the 
     repatriation and prosecution of such ISIS detainees is 
     appropriately coordinated across Federal departments and 
     agencies.

[[Page S6304]]

       (8) A description of the current efforts by the United 
     States and United States partners to advance a sustainable 
     political settlement in Syria.
       (9) A description of the conditions that must be met to 
     secure the enduring defeat of ISIS and al Qaeda in Syria and 
     the region.
       (10) A description of the United States military and 
     civilian presence and capabilities required to effectively 
     monitor and target ISIS and al Qaeda in the region, as well 
     as an assessment of the risks and limitations to the 
     effectiveness of such efforts without a United States 
     military and civilian presence in Syria and the region, 
     including the feasibility of programming stabilization 
     assistance without the presence of United States military or 
     civilian personnel.
       (11) An explanation of United States efforts to ensure the 
     safety of Syrian Kurds and other Syrian nationals who were or 
     are employed by the United States Government in Syria from 
     retribution by Turkey, the Assad regime, ISIS, al Qaeda, or 
     other armed groups.
       (12) An assessment of the risks of the involuntary 
     resettlement of refugees by the Government of Turkey in 
     northern Syria.
       (13) A comprehensive description of United States 
     Government activities utilizing social media and other 
     communication technologies strategy to counter ISIS's 
     propaganda, influence, and ability to recruit fighters 
     domestically and internationally.
       (14) A description of the efforts of the United States 
     Government, including economic sanctions, to deny financial 
     resources, including revenues from natural resources 
     extraction, sale of antiquities, kidnapping, extortion, 
     taxation, smuggling, access to cash storage sites, and access 
     to international financial networks, to ISIS and its 
     affiliates, in conjunction with international partners and 
     financial institutions.
       (c) Form.--The report required under subsection (a) shall 
     be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a 
     classified annex.

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