IB 

Union Calendar No. 455 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8161 

[Report No. 116–555] 

To authorize implementation grants to community-based nonprofits to operate 

one-stop reentry centers. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 

Ms. BASS (for herself and Mr. RESCHENTHALER) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 

Reported with an amendment; committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on September 4, 2020] 


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A BILL 

To authorize implementation grants to community-based 

nonprofits to operate one-stop reentry centers. 


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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 ‘‘The One Stop Shop 

5 Community Reentry Program Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. COMMUNITY REENTRY CENTER GRANT PROGRAM. 

7 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Attorney General is 

8 authorized to carry out a grant program to make grants 

9 to eligible entities for the purpose of creating community 

10 reentry centers. 

11 (b) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—Each application 

12 for a grant under this section shall— 

13 (1) demonstrate a plan to work with community 

14 leaders who interact with formerly incarcerated peo15 ple and their families to— 

16 (A) identify specific strategies and ap17 proaches to providing reentry services; 

18 (B) develop a needs assessment tool to sur19 vey or conduct focus groups with community 

20 members in order to identify— 

21 (i) the needs of individuals returning 

22 to the community after conviction or incar23 ceration, and the barriers such individuals 

24 face; and 


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1 (ii) the needs of the families and com2 munities to which such individuals are re3 turning; and 

4 (C) use the information gathered pursuant 

5 to subparagraph (B) to determine the reentry 

6 services to be provided by the community reentry 

7 center; 

8 (2) identify the correctional institutions from 

9 which individuals who are released from incarcer10 ation are likely to reenter the community served by 

11 the community reentry center, and develop a plan, if 

12 feasible, to provide transportation for such released 

13 individuals to the community reentry center, to the 

14 individual’s residence, or to a location where the indi15 vidual is ordered by a court to report; 

16 (3) demonstrate a plan to provide accessible no17 tice of the location of the reentry intake and coordina18 tion center and the services that it will provide (either 

19 directly or on a referral basis), including, where fea20 sible, within and outside of correctional institutions 

21 identified under paragraph (1); 

22 (4) demonstrate a plan to provide intake and re23 entry needs assessment that is trauma-informed and 

24 gender-responsive after an individual is released from 

25 a correctional institution, or, in the case of an indiVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:59 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H8161.RH H8161

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1 vidual who is convicted of an offense and not sen2 tenced to a term of imprisonment, after such convic3 tion, and where feasible, before release, to ensure that 

4 the individuals served by the center are referred to 

5 appropriate reentry services based on the individual’s 

6 needs immediately upon release from a correctional 

7 institution or after conviction, and continuously 

8 thereafter as needed; 

9 (5) demonstrate a plan to provide the reentry 

10 services identified in paragraph (1)(C); 

11 (6) demonstrate a plan to continue to provide 

12 services (including through referral) for individuals 

13 served by the center who move to a different geo14 graphic area to ensure appropriate case management, 

15 case planning, and access to continuous or new serv16 ices, where necessary, and based on consistent reevalu17 ation of needs; and 

18 (7) identify specific methods that the community 

19 reentry center will employ to achieve performance ob20 jectives among the individuals served by the center, 

21 including— 

22 (A) increased access to and participation in 

23 reentry services; 

24 (B) reduction in recidivism rates; 


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1 (C) increased numbers of individuals ob2 taining and retaining employment; 

3 (D) increased enrollment in and degrees 

4 earned from educational programs, including 

5 high school, GED, and institutions of higher edu6 cation; 

7 (E) increased numbers of individuals ob8 taining and maintaining housing; and 

9 (F) increased self-reports of successful com10 munity living, including stability of living situ11 ation and positive family relationships. 

12 (c) PREFERENCE.—The Attorney General shall give 

13 preference to applicants that demonstrate that they seek to 

14 employ individuals who have been convicted of an offense, 

15 or served a term of imprisonment and have completed any 

16 court-ordered supervision, or that, to the extent allowable 

17 by law, employ such formerly incarcerated individuals in 

18 positions of responsibility. 

19 (d) EVALUATION AND REPORT.— 

20 (1) EVALUATION.—The Attorney General shall 

21 enter into a contract with a nonprofit organization 

22 with expertise in analyzing data related to reentry 

23 services and recidivism to monitor and evaluate each 

24 recipient of a grant and each community reentry cenVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:59 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H8161.RH H8161

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1 ter receiving funds under this section on an ongoing 

2 basis. 

3 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN.—The nonprofit 

4 organization described in paragraph (1) shall provide 

5 administrative support to assist recipients of grants 

6 authorized by this Act to comply with the conditions 

7 associated with the receipt of funding from the De8 partment of Justice. 

9 (3) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 

10 date on which grants are initially made under this 

11 section, and annually thereafter, the Attorney General 

12 shall submit to Congress a report on the program, 

13 which shall include— 

14 (A) the number of grants made, the number 

15 of eligible entities receiving such grants, and the 

16 amount of funding distributed to each eligible 

17 entity pursuant to this section; 

18 (B) the location of each eligible entity re19 ceiving such a grant, and the population served 

20 by the community reentry center; 

21 (C) the number of persons who have partici22 pated in reentry services offered by a community 

23 reentry center, disaggregated by type of services, 

24 and success rates of participants in each service 

25 to the extent possible; 


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1 (D) the number of persons who have partici2 pated in reentry services for which they received 

3 a referral from a community reentry center, 

4 disaggregated by type of services, and success 

5 rates of participants in each service; 

6 (E) recidivism rates within the population 

7 served by each community reentry center, both 

8 before and after receiving a grant under this sec9 tion; 

10 (F) the numbers of individuals obtaining 

11 and retaining employment within the population 

12 served by each community reentry center, both 

13 before and after receiving a grant under this sec14 tion; and 

15 (G) the number of individuals obtaining 

16 and maintaining housing within the population 

17 served by each community reentry center, both 

18 before and after receiving a grant under this sec19 tion. 

20 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 (1) The term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means a commu22 nity-based nonprofit organization that— 

23 (A) has expertise in the provision of reentry 

24 services; and 


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1 (B) is located in a geographic area that has 

2 disproportionately high numbers of residents, 

3 when compared to the local community, who— 

4 (i) have been arrested; 

5 (ii) have been convicted of a criminal 

6 offense; and 

7 (iii) return to such geographic area 

8 after incarceration. 

9 (2) The term ‘‘community reentry center’’ means 

10 a center that— 

11 (A) offers intake, reentry needs assessments, 

12 case management, and case planning for reentry 

13 services for individuals returning to the commu14 nity after conviction or incarceration; 

15 (B) provides the reentry services identified 

16 under subsection (b)(1)(C) at a single location; 

17 and 

18 (C) provides referrals to appropriate service 

19 providers based on the assessment of needs of the 

20 individuals. 

21 (3) The term ‘‘reentry services’’ means com22 prehensive and holistic services that improve outcomes 

23 for individuals returning to the community after con24 viction or incarceration, and may include— 


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1 (A) seeking and maintaining employment, 

2 including through assistance with drafting re3 sumes, establishing emails accounts, locating job 

4 solicitations, submitting of job applications, and 

5 preparing for interviews; 

6 (B) placement in job placement programs 

7 that partner with private employers; 

8 (C) obtaining free and low-cost job skills 

9 classes, including computer skills, technical 

10 skills, vocational skills, and any other job-related 

11 skills; 

12 (D) locating and maintaining housing, 

13 which may include counseling on public housing 

14 opportunities, assisting with applications for 

15 public housing benefits, locating and securing 

16 temporary or long-term shelter, and applying for 

17 home energy and utility assistance programs; 

18 (E) obtaining identification cards and driv19 er’s licenses; 

20 (F) registering to vote, and applying for 

21 voting rights to be restored, where permitted by 

22 law; 

23 (G) applying for or accessing GED courses; 

24 (H) applying for loans for and admission 

25 to institutions of higher education; 


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1 (I) financial counseling; 

2 (J) legal assistance or referrals for record 

3 expungement, forfeiture of property or assets, 

4 family law and custody matters, legal aid serv5 ices (including other civil legal aid services), and 

6 relevant civil matters including housing and 

7 other issues; 

8 (K) retrieving property or funds retained by 

9 the arresting agency or facility of incarceration, 

10 or retrieving property or funds obtained while 

11 incarcerated; 

12 (L) transportation, including through pro13 vision of transit fare; 

14 (M) familial counseling; 

15 (N) problem-solving, in coordination with 

16 counsel where necessary, any difficulties in com17 pliance with court-ordered supervision require18 ments, including restrictions on living with cer19 tain family members, contact with certain 

20 friends, bond requirements, location and resi21 dency restrictions, electronic monitoring compli22 ance, court-ordered substance abuse, and other 

23 court-ordered requirements; 


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1 (O) communication needs, including pro2 viding a mobile phone, mobile phone service or 

3 access, or internet access; 

4 (P) applying for State or Federal govern5 ment benefits, where eligible, and assisting in lo6 cating free or reduced cost food and sustenance 

7 benefits; 

8 (Q) life skills assistance; 

9 (R) mentorship; 

10 (S) medical and mental health services, and 

11 cognitive-behavioral programming; 

12 (T) substance abuse treatment; 

13 (U) reactivation, application for, and 

14 maintenance of professional or other licenses; 

15 and 

16 (V) providing case management services, in 

17 connection with court-orders terms of release, or 

18 other local publicly supported social work case 

19 management. 

20 (4) The term ‘‘community leader’’ means an in21 dividual who serves the community in a leadership 

22 role, including— 

23 (A) a school official; 

24 (B) a faith leader; 

25 (C) a social service provider; 


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1 (D) a member of a neighborhood associa2 tion; 

3 (E) a public safety representative; 

4 (F) an employee of an organization that 

5 provides reentry services; 

6 (G) a member of a civic or volunteer group 

7 related to the provision of reentry services; 

8 (H) a health care professional; or 

9 (I) an employee of a State, local, or tribal 

10 government agency with expertise in the provi11 sion of reentry services. 

12 (5) The term ‘‘success rate’’ means the rate of re13 cidivism (as measured by a subsequent conviction or 

14 return to prison), job placement, permanent housing 

15 placement, or completion of certification, trade, or 

16 other education program. 

17 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be ap19 propriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

20 through 2025 to carry out this section. 

21 (2) EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION.—The Attorney 

22 General shall ensure that grants awarded under this 

23 section are equitably distributed among the geo24 graphical regions and between urban and rural popuVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:59 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H8161.RH H8161

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1 lations, including Indian Tribes, consistent with the 

2 objective of reducing recidivism. 

3 SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR REENTRY SERVICES ASSISTANCE HOT4 LINES. 

5 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General is au7 thorized to make grants to States and units of local 

8 government to operate reentry services assistance hot9 lines that are toll-free and operate 24 hours a day, 7 

10 days a week. 

11 (2) GRANT PERIOD.—A grant made under para12 graph (1) shall be for a period of not more than 5 

13 years. 

14 (b) HOTLINE REQUIREMENTS.—A grant recipient 

15 shall ensure, with respect to a hotline funded by a grant 

16 under subsection (a), that— 

17 (1) the hotline directs individuals to local re18 entry services (as such term is defined in section 

19 2(e)); 

20 (2) any personally identifiable information that 

21 an individual provides to an agency of the State 

22 through the hotline is not directly or indirectly dis23 closed, without the consent of the individual, to any 

24 other agency or entity, or person; 


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1 (3) the staff members who operate the hotline are 

2 trained to be knowledgeable about— 

3 (A) applicable Federal, State, and local re4 entry services; and 

5 (B) the unique barriers to successful reentry 

6 into the community after a person has been con7 victed or incarcerated; 

8 (4) the hotline is accessible to— 

9 (A) individuals with limited English pro10 ficiency, where appropriate; and 

11 (B) individuals with disabilities; 

12 (5) the hotline has the capability to engage with 

13 individuals using text messages. 

14 (c) BEST PRACTICES.—The Attorney General shall 

15 issue guidance to grant recipients on best practices for im16 plementing the requirements of subsection (b). 

17 (d) PREFERENCE.—The Attorney General shall give 

18 preference to applicants that demonstrate that they seek to 

19 employ individuals to operate the hotline who have been 

20 convicted of an offense, or have served a term of imprison21 ment and have completed any court-ordered supervision. 

22 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

23 authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 for each of fiscal 

24 years 2021 through 2025 to carry out this section. 


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Union Calendar No. 455 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8161 

[Report No. 116–555] 

A BILL 

To authorize implementation grants to communityters. based nonprofits to operate one-stop reentry cenSEPTEMBER 29, 2020 

Reported with an amendment; committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS