I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8161 

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 

A BILL 

To authorize implementation grants to community-based 

nonprofits to operate one-stop reentry centers. 

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 

8 is authorized to carry out a grant program to make grants 

9 to eligible entities for the purpose of creating community 

10 reentry centers. 


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1 (b) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—Each applica2 tion for a grant under this section shall— 

3 (1) demonstrate a plan to work with community 

4 leaders who interact with formerly incarcerated peo5 ple and their families to— 

6 (A) identify specific strategies and ap7 proaches to providing reentry services; 

8 (B) develop a needs assessment tool to sur9 vey or conduct focus groups with community 

10 members in order to identify— 

11 (i) the needs of individuals returning 

12 to the community after conviction or incar13 ceration, and the barriers such individuals 

14 face; and 

15 (ii) the needs of the families and com16 munities to which such individuals are re17 turning; and 

18 (C) use the information gathered pursuant 

19 to subparagraph (B) to determine the reentry 

20 services to be provided by the community re21 entry center; 

22 (2) identify the correctional institutions from 

23 which individuals who are released from incarcer24 ation are likely to reenter the community served by 

25 the community reentry center, and a plan, if any, to 


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1 provide transportation for such released individuals 

2 to the community reentry center, the individual’s 

3 residence, or to a location where the individual is or4 dered by a court to report; 

5 (3) demonstrate a plan to provide accessible no6 tice of the location of the reentry intake and coordi7 nation center and the services that it will provide 

8 (either directly or on a referral basis), including, 

9 where feasible, within and outside of correctional in10 stitutions identified under paragraph (1); 

11 (4) demonstrate a plan to provide intake and 

12 reentry needs assessment that is trauma-informed 

13 and gender-responsive after an individual is released 

14 from a correctional institution, or, in the case of an 

15 individual who is convicted of an offense and not 

16 sentenced to a term of imprisonment, after such con17 viction, and where feasible, before release, to ensure 

18 that the individuals served by the center are referred 

19 to appropriate reentry services based on the individ20 ual’s needs immediately upon release from a correc21 tional institution or after conviction, and continu22 ously thereafter as needed; 

23 (5) demonstrate a plan to provide the reentry 

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


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1 (6) demonstrate a plan to continue to provide 

2 services (including through referral) for individuals 

3 served by the center who move to a different geo4 graphic area to ensure appropriate case manage5 ment, case planning, and access to continuous or 

6 new services where necessary and based on con7 sistent reevaluation of needs; and 

8 (7) identify specific methods that the commu9 nity reentry center will employ to achieve perform10 ance objectives among the individuals served by the 

11 center, including— 

12 (A) increased access to and participation 

13 in reentry services; 

14 (B) reduction in recidivism rates; 

15 (C) increased numbers of individuals ob16 taining and retaining employment; 

17 (D) increased enrollment in and degrees 

18 earned from educational programs, including 

19 high school, GED, and institutions of higher 

20 education; 

21 (E) increased numbers of individuals ob22 taining and maintaining housing; and 

23 (F) increased self-reports of successful 

24 community living, including stability of living 

25 situation and positive family relationships. 


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

2 preference to applicants that demonstrate that they seek 

3 to employ individuals who have been convicted of an of4 fense, or served a term of imprisonment or that, to the 

5 extent allowable by law, employ such formerly incarcerated 

6 individuals in positions of responsibility. 

7 (d) EVALUATION AND REPORT.— 

8 (1) EVALUATION.—The Attorney General shall 

9 enter into a contract with a nonprofit organization 

10 with expertise in analyzing data related to reentry 

11 services and recidivism to monitor and evaluate each 

12 recipient of a grant and each community reentry 

13 center receiving funds under this section on an ongo14 ing basis. 

15 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN.—The nonprofit 

16 organization described in paragraph (1) shall provide 

17 administrative support to assist recipients of grants 

18 authorized by this Act to comply with the conditions 

19 associated with the receipt of funding from the De20 partment of Justice. 

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

22 date on which grants are initially made under this 

23 section, and annually thereafter, the Attorney Gen24 eral shall submit to Congress a report on the pro25 gram, which shall include— 


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1 (A) the number of grants made, the num2 ber of eligible entities receiving such grants, 

3 and the amount of funding distributed to each 

4 eligible entity pursuant to this section; 

5 (B) the location of each eligible entity re6 ceiving such a grant, and the population served 

7 by the community reentry center; 

8 (C) the number of persons who have par9 ticipated in reentry services offered by a com10 munity reentry center, disaggregated by type of 

11 services, and success rates of participants in 

12 each service to the extent possible; 

13 (D) the number of persons who have par14 ticipated in reentry services for which they re15 ceived a referral from a community reentry cen16 ter, disaggregated by type of services, and suc17 cess rates of participants in each service; 

18 (E) recidivism rates within the population 

19 served by each community reentry center, both 

20 before and after receiving a grant under this 

21 section; 

22 (F) the number of individuals obtaining 

23 and retaining employment within the population 

24 served by each community reentry center, both 


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1 before and after receiving a grant under this 

2 section; and 

3 (G) the number of individuals obtaining 

4 and maintaining housing within the population 

5 served by each community reentry center, both 

6 before and after receiving a grant under this 

7 section. 

8 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 (1) The term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means a commu10 nity-based nonprofit organization that— 

11 (A) has expertise in the provision of re12 entry services; and 

13 (B) is located in a geographic area that 

14 has disproportionately high numbers of resi15 dents who— 

16 (i) have been arrested; 

17 (ii) have been convicted of a criminal 

18 offense; and 

19 (iii) return to such geographic area 

20 after incarceration. 

21 (2) The term ‘‘community reentry center’’ 

22 means a center that— 

23 (A) offers intake, reentry needs assess24 ments, case management, and case planning for 


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1 reentry services for individuals returning to the 

2 community after conviction or incarceration; 

3 (B) provides the reentry services identified 

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

5 and 

6 (C) provides referrals to appropriate serv7 ice providers based on the assessment of needs 

8 of the individual. 

9 (3) The term ‘‘reentry services’’ means com10 prehensive and holistic services that improve out11 comes for individuals returning to the community 

12 after conviction or incarceration, and may include— 

13 (A) seeking and maintaining employment, 

14 including through assistance with drafting re15 sumes, establishing emails accounts, locating 

16 job solicitations, submission of job applications, 

17 and preparation for interviews; 

18 (B) placement in job placement programs 

19 that partner with private employers; 

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

21 classes, including computer skills, technical 

22 skills, vocational skills, and any other job-re23 lated skills; 

24 (D) locating and maintaining housing, 

25 which may include counseling on public housing 


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1 opportunities, assistance with applications for 

2 public housing benefits, and locating and secur3 ing temporary or long-term shelter; 

4 (E) obtaining identification cards and driv5 er’s licenses; 

6 (F) registering to vote, and applying for 

7 voting rights to be restored, where permitted by 

8 law; 

9 (G) applying for or accessing GED 

10 courses; 

11 (H) applying for loans for and admission 

12 to institutions of higher education; 

13 (I) financial counseling; 

14 (J) legal assistance or referrals for record 

15 expungement, forfeiture of property or assets, 

16 family law and custody matters, legal aid serv17 ices (including other civil legal aid services), 

18 and relevant civil matters including housing and 

19 other issues; 

20 (K) retrieving property or funds retained 

21 by the arresting agency or facility of incarcer22 ation, or retrieving property or funds obtained 

23 while incarcerated; 

24 (L) transportation, including through pro25 vision of transit fare; 


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1 (M) familial counseling; 

2 (N) problem-solving, in coordination with 

3 counsel where necessary, any difficulties in 

4 compliance with court-ordered supervision re5 quirements, including restrictions on living with 

6 certain family members, contact with certain 

7 friends, bond requirements, location and resi8 dency restrictions, electronic monitoring compli9 ance, court-ordered substance abuse, and other 

10 court-ordered requirements; 

11 (O) communication needs, including pro12 viding a mobile phone, mobile phone service or 

13 access, or internet access; 

14 (P) applying for State or Federal govern15 ment benefits, where eligible; 

16 (R) life skills assistance; 

17 (S) mentorship; 

18 (T) medical and mental health services, 

19 and cognitive-behavioral programming; 

20 (U) substance abuse treatment; and 

21 (V) reactivation, application for, and main22 taining professional or other licenses. 

23 (4) The term ‘‘community leader’’ means an in24 dividual who serves the community in a leadership 

25 role, including— 


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1 (A) a school official; 

2 (B) a faith leader; 

3 (C) a social service provider; 

4 (D) a member of a neighborhood associa5 tion; 

6 (E) a public safety representative; 

7 (F) an employee of an organization that 

8 provides reentry services; 

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

10 related to the provision of reentry services; 

11 (H) a health care professional; and 

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

13 government agency with expertise in the provi14 sion of reentry services. 

15 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

17 appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

18 2021 through 2025 to carry out this section. 

19 (2) EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION.—The Attorney 

20 General shall ensure that grants awarded under this 

21 section are equitably distributed among the geo22 graphical regions and between urban and rural pop23 ulations, including Indian Tribes, consistent with the 

24 objective of reducing recidivism. 


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1 SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR REENTRY SERVICES ASSISTANCE HOT2 LINES. 

3 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General is au5 thorized to make grants to States and units of local 

6 government to operate reentry services assistance 

7 hotlines that are toll-free and operate 24 hours a 

8 day, 7 days a week. 

9 (2) GRANT PERIOD.—A grant made under 

10 paragraph (1) shall be for a period of not more than 

11 5 years. 

12 (b) HOTLINE REQUIREMENTS.—A grant recipient 

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

14 under subsection (a), that— 

15 (1) the hotline directs individuals to local re16 entry services (as such term is defined in section 

17 2(e)); 

18 (2) any personally identifiable information that 

19 an individual provides to an agency of the State 

20 through the hotline is not directly or indirectly dis21 closed, without the consent of the individual, to any 

22 other agency or entity, or person; 

23 (3) the staff members who operate the hotline 

24 are trained to be knowledgeable about— 

25 (A) applicable Federal, State, and local re26 entry services; and 


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1 (B) the unique barriers to successful re2 entry into the community after a person has 

3 been convicted or incarcerated; 

4 (4) the hotline is accessible to— 

5 (A) individuals with limited English pro6 ficiency, where appropriate; and 

7 (B) individuals with disabilities; 

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

9 individuals using text messages. 

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

11 issue guidance to grant recipients on best practices for im12 plementing the requirements of subsection (b). 

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

14 preference to applicants that demonstrate that they seek 

15 to employ individuals to operate the hotline who have been 

16 convicted of an offense, or served a term of imprisonment. 

17 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

18 authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 for each of fis19 cal years 2021 through 2025 to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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