Reentry Resource Guide Act of 2023

H.R. 4404 · 118th Congress · Jun 30, 2023 · Lineage

A BILL

To establish a pilot program to develop, expand, and maintain digital community resource guides to advance the reentry efforts of individuals returning to their communities after incarceration.

Section 1 Short title

This Act may be cited as the “Reentry Resource Guide Act of 2023”.

Sec. 2 Pilot program

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish a pilot program to make grants to eligible applicants to develop, expand, and maintain digital community resource guides of statewide resources to advance the reentry efforts of individuals returning to their communities after incarceration. Such guides shall—

(1)

be a comprehensive list detailing names and contact information for statewide resources;

(2)

be sortable by regions within the State for easier accessibility;

(3)

be available for download; and

(4)

be appropriate, relevant, and available, with special considerations for—

(A)

employment services;

(B)

housing services;

(C)

local crisis lines;

(D)

outreach agencies;

(E)

local shelters;

(F)

shower and restrooms;

(G)

clothing and storage;

(H)

cooling and warming stations for extreme temperature or weather conditions;

(I)

food pantries;

(J)

hot meals;

(K)

identification assistance services;

(L)

transportation services;

(M)

relocation services;

(N)

legal services;

(O)

education services;

(P)

government services;

(Q)

addiction counseling and treatment for gambling;

(R)

addiction counseling and treatment for substance abuse services;

(S)

harm reduction services;

(T)

mental and health services and referrals;

(U)

medical and dental services;

(V)

domestic violence shelters;

(W)

services for living with HIV or AIDS;

(X)

disability services;

(Y)

seniors services;

(Z)

family services;

(AA)

veteran services;

(BB)

youth and young people services;

(CC)

government services; and

(DD)

information and referral services.

Sec. 3 Application; grant term

(a)

Application— A State may apply for a grant under this section by submitting an application including—

(1)

a strategy for identifying community resources;

(2)

identification of relevant statewide resources, their physical locations, and contact information;

(3)

identification of the entity or personnel responsible for the creation and management of the guide

(4)

identification of where the guide will be accessible; and

(5)

a plan for promotion of awareness of the resource guides within the prison and returning population.

(b)

Grant term— A grant under this section shall be for a term of 3 years.

Sec. 4 Use of funds

Amounts provided as grants under this Act may be used for—

(1)

project planning and community engagement;

(2)

project implementation;

(3)

operational costs including costs of startup or expansion of the existing system, outreach, and language translation;

(4)

employee salary associated with the guide's expansion, creation, and maintenance; and

(5)

maintenance of the digital site the guide is listed.

Sec. 5 Reporting

(a)

Grantees— Each grantee shall submit an annual report to AG that details specific uses of the grant funds, and the outcome of the program.

(b)

Attorney General— After the termination of the pilot program, the Attorney General shall submit to Congress a report including an evaluation detailing the implementation of, outcome of, and impact of the program on reduction of recidivism and overall successful reentry.

Sec. 6 Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2027.