I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4797 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to require that Bureau of Prisons 

help Federal prisoners who are being released to obtain appropriate 

ID to facilitate their reentry into society at no cost to the prisoner, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 22, 2019 

Mr. TAKANO (for himself and Mr. EVANS) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to require that 

Bureau of Prisons help Federal prisoners who are being 

released to obtain appropriate ID to facilitate their reentry into society at no cost to the prisoner, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restoring Access 

5 Through Identification Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROVISION OF PHOTO IDENTIFICATION CARD FOR 

2 PRISONERS. 

3 (a) TITLE 18, UNITED STATES CODE.—Subpara4 graph (B) of section 4042(a)(6) of the title 18, United 

5 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(B) obtain, at no cost to the prisoner, 

7 identification documents, including social secu8 rity cards, birth certificates, and driver’s li9 censes or State photo identification documents; 

10 and’’. 

11 (b) SECOND CHANCE ACT OF 2007.—Section 231(b) 

12 of the Second Chance Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 60541(b)) 

13 is amended by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘(1) OBTAINING IDENTIFICATION.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall as16 sist prisoners in obtaining, at no cost to the 

17 prisoner, identification documents prior to re18 lease from a term of imprisonment in a Federal 

19 prison or if the individual was not sentenced to 

20 a term of imprisonment in a Federal prison, 

21 prior to release from a sentence to a term in 

22 community confinement, including a social secu23 rity card, birth certificate, and driver’s license 

24 or other State photo identification document. 

25 ‘‘(B) NOTICE TO PRISONERS OF INABILITY

26 TO OBTAIN DOCUMENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) LACK OF RESPONSE FROM FED2 ERAL OR STATE AGENCY.—If the Director 

3 cannot obtain a copy of a document re4 quired to obtain a form of identification 

5 described in subparagraph (A) because of 

6 inaction by the Federal or State agency 

7 from which the document was requested, 

8 the Director shall provide to the prisoner— 

9 ‘‘(I) a written statement that ex10 plains what steps the Director took in 

11 trying to obtain the document; and 

12 ‘‘(II) any documents transmitted 

13 to the Director by the Federal or 

14 State agency in response to the re15 quest for the document. 

16 ‘‘(ii) LACK OF AUTHORIZATION FROM

17 PRISONER.—If the Director cannot obtain 

18 a copy of a document required to obtain a 

19 form of identification described in subpara20 graph (A) because the prisoner does not 

21 provide the authorization required to ob22 tain the document, the Director shall pro23 vide a written statement to the prisoner 

24 that explains why the document was not 

25 obtained. 


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1 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—On an annual basis, the 

2 Director shall submit to Congress a report on 

3 the receipt of driver’s licenses or other State 

4 photo identification documents by prisoners de5 scribed in subparagraph (A) that includes, for 

6 the previous year— 

7 ‘‘(i) the number of prisoners who re8 ceived such an identification document; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(ii) the number of prisoners released 

11 without receiving such an identification 

12 document, and the reasons that such pris13 oners did not receive such an identification 

14 document.’’. 

Æ 


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