IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8161 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 9, 2020 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

AN ACT 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘The One Stop Shop 

3 Community Reentry Program Act of 2020’’. 

4 SEC. 2. COMMUNITY REENTRY CENTER GRANT PROGRAM. 

5 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Attorney General 

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

7 to eligible entities for the purpose of creating community 

8 reentry centers. 

9 (b) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—Each applica10 tion for a grant under this section shall— 

11 (1) demonstrate a plan to work with community 

12 leaders who interact with formerly incarcerated peo13 ple and their families to— 

14 (A) identify specific strategies and ap15 proaches to providing reentry services; 

16 (B) develop a needs assessment tool to sur17 vey or conduct focus groups with community 

18 members in order to identify— 

19 (i) the needs of individuals returning 

20 to the community after conviction or incar21 ceration, and the barriers such individuals 

22 face; and 

23 (ii) the needs of the families and com24 munities to which such individuals are re25 turning; and 


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1 (C) use the information gathered pursuant 

2 to subparagraph (B) to determine the reentry 

3 services to be provided by the community re4 entry center; 

5 (2) identify the correctional institutions from 

6 which individuals who are released from incarcer7 ation are likely to reenter the community served by 

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

9 feasible, to provide transportation for such released 

10 individuals to the community reentry center, to the 

11 individual’s residence, or to a location where the in12 dividual is ordered by a court to report; 

13 (3) demonstrate a plan to provide accessible no14 tice of the location of the reentry intake and coordi15 nation center and the services that it will provide 

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

17 where feasible, within and outside of correctional in18 stitutions identified under paragraph (1); 

19 (4) demonstrate a plan to provide intake and 

20 reentry needs assessment that is trauma-informed 

21 and gender-responsive after an individual is released 

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

23 individual who is convicted of an offense and not 

24 sentenced to a term of imprisonment, after such con25 viction, and where feasible, before release, to ensure 


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1 that the individuals served by the center are referred 

2 to appropriate reentry services based on the individ3 ual’s needs immediately upon release from a correc4 tional institution or after conviction, and continu5 ously thereafter as needed; 

6 (5) demonstrate a plan to provide the reentry 

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

8 (6) demonstrate a plan to continue to provide 

9 services (including through referral) for individuals 

10 served by the center who move to a different geo11 graphic area to ensure appropriate case manage12 ment, case planning, and access to continuous or 

13 new services, where necessary, and based on con14 sistent reevaluation of needs; and 

15 (7) identify specific methods that the commu16 nity reentry center will employ to achieve perform17 ance objectives among the individuals served by the 

18 center, including— 

19 (A) increased access to and participation 

20 in reentry services; 

21 (B) reduction in recidivism rates; 

22 (C) increased numbers of individuals ob23 taining and retaining employment; 

24 (D) increased enrollment in and degrees 

25 earned from educational programs, including 


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1 high school, GED, and institutions of higher 

2 education; 

3 (E) increased numbers of individuals ob4 taining and maintaining housing; and 

5 (F) increased self-reports of successful 

6 community living, including stability of living 

7 situation and positive family relationships. 

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

9 preference to applicants that demonstrate that they seek 

10 to employ individuals who have been convicted of an of11 fense, or served a term of imprisonment and have com12 pleted any court-ordered supervision, or that, to the extent 

13 allowable by law, employ such formerly incarcerated indi14 viduals in positions of responsibility. 

15 (d) EVALUATION AND REPORT.— 

16 (1) EVALUATION.—The Attorney General shall 

17 enter into a contract with a nonprofit organization 

18 with expertise in analyzing data related to reentry 

19 services and recidivism to monitor and evaluate each 

20 recipient of a grant and each community reentry 

21 center receiving funds under this section on an ongo22 ing basis. 

23 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN.—The nonprofit 

24 organization described in paragraph (1) shall provide 

25 administrative support to assist recipients of grants 


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1 authorized by this Act to comply with the conditions 

2 associated with the receipt of funding from the De3 partment of Justice. 

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

5 date on which grants are initially made under this 

6 section, and annually thereafter, the Attorney Gen7 eral shall submit to Congress a report on the pro8 gram, which shall include— 

9 (A) the number of grants made, the num10 ber of eligible entities receiving such grants, 

11 and the amount of funding distributed to each 

12 eligible entity pursuant to this section; 

13 (B) the location of each eligible entity re14 ceiving such a grant, and the population served 

15 by the community reentry center; 

16 (C) the number of persons who have par17 ticipated in reentry services offered by a com18 munity reentry center, disaggregated by type of 

19 services, and success rates of participants in 

20 each service to the extent possible; 

21 (D) the number of persons who have par22 ticipated in reentry services for which they re23 ceived a referral from a community reentry cen24 ter, disaggregated by type of services, and suc25 cess rates of participants in each service; 


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1 (E) recidivism rates within the population 

2 served by each community reentry center, both 

3 before and after receiving a grant under this 

4 section; 

5 (F) the numbers of individuals obtaining 

6 and retaining employment within the population 

7 served by each community reentry center, both 

8 before and after receiving a grant under this 

9 section; and 

10 (G) the number of individuals obtaining 

11 and maintaining housing within the population 

12 served by each community reentry center, both 

13 before and after receiving a grant under this 

14 section. 

15 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) The term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means a commu17 nity-based nonprofit organization that— 

18 (A) has expertise in the provision of re19 entry services; and 

20 (B) is located in a geographic area that 

21 has disproportionately high numbers of resi22 dents, when compared to the local community, 

23 who— 

24 (i) have been arrested; 


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1 (ii) have been convicted of a criminal 

2 offense; and 

3 (iii) return to such geographic area 

4 after incarceration. 

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

6 means a center that— 

7 (A) offers intake, reentry needs assess8 ments, case management, and case planning for 

9 reentry services for individuals returning to the 

10 community after conviction or incarceration; 

11 (B) provides the reentry services identified 

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

13 and 

14 (C) provides referrals to appropriate serv15 ice providers based on the assessment of needs 

16 of the individuals. 

17 (3) The term ‘‘reentry services’’ means com18 prehensive and holistic services that improve out19 comes for individuals returning to the community 

20 after conviction or incarceration, and may include— 

21 (A) seeking and maintaining employment, 

22 including through assistance with drafting re23 sumes, establishing emails accounts, locating 

24 job solicitations, submitting of job applications, 

25 and preparing for interviews; 


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1 (B) placement in job placement programs 

2 that partner with private employers; 

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

4 classes, including computer skills, technical 

5 skills, vocational skills, and any other job-re6 lated skills; 

7 (D) locating and maintaining housing, 

8 which may include counseling on public housing 

9 opportunities, assisting with applications for 

10 public housing benefits, locating and securing 

11 temporary or long-term shelter, and applying 

12 for home energy and utility assistance pro13 grams; 

14 (E) obtaining identification cards and driv15 er’s licenses; 

16 (F) registering to vote, and applying for 

17 voting rights to be restored, where permitted by 

18 law; 

19 (G) applying for or accessing GED 

20 courses; 

21 (H) applying for loans for and admission 

22 to institutions of higher education; 

23 (I) financial counseling; 

24 (J) legal assistance or referrals for record 

25 expungement, forfeiture of property or assets, 


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1 family law and custody matters, legal aid serv2 ices (including other civil legal aid services), 

3 and relevant civil matters including housing and 

4 other issues; 

5 (K) retrieving property or funds retained 

6 by the arresting agency or facility of incarcer7 ation, or retrieving property or funds obtained 

8 while incarcerated; 

9 (L) transportation, including through pro10 vision of transit fare; 

11 (M) familial counseling; 

12 (N) problem-solving, in coordination with 

13 counsel where necessary, any difficulties in 

14 compliance with court-ordered supervision re15 quirements, including restrictions on living with 

16 certain family members, contact with certain 

17 friends, bond requirements, location and resi18 dency restrictions, electronic monitoring compli19 ance, court-ordered substance abuse, and other 

20 court-ordered requirements; 

21 (O) communication needs, including pro22 viding a mobile phone, mobile phone service or 

23 access, or internet access; 

24 (P) applying for State or Federal govern25 ment benefits, where eligible, and assisting in 


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1 locating free or reduced cost food and suste2 nance benefits; 

3 (Q) life skills assistance; 

4 (R) mentorship; 

5 (S) medical and mental health services, 

6 and cognitive-behavioral programming; 

7 (T) substance abuse treatment; 

8 (U) reactivation, application for, and main9 tenance of professional or other licenses; and 

10 (V) providing case management services, in 

11 connection with court-orders terms of release, 

12 or other local publicly supported social work 

13 case management. 

14 (4) The term ‘‘community leader’’ means an in15 dividual who serves the community in a leadership 

16 role, including— 

17 (A) a school official; 

18 (B) a faith leader; 

19 (C) a social service provider; 

20 (D) a member of a neighborhood associa21 tion; 

22 (E) a public safety representative; 

23 (F) an employee of an organization that 

24 provides reentry services; 


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

2 related to the provision of reentry services; 

3 (H) a health care professional; or 

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

5 government agency with expertise in the provi6 sion of reentry services. 

7 (5) The term ‘‘success rate’’ means the rate of 

8 recidivism (as measured by a subsequent conviction 

9 or return to prison), job placement, permanent hous10 ing placement, or completion of certification, trade, 

11 or other education program. 

12 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

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

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

15 2021 through 2025 to carry out this section. 

16 (2) EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION.—The Attorney 

17 General shall ensure that grants awarded under this 

18 section are equitably distributed among the geo19 graphical regions and between urban and rural pop20 ulations, including Indian Tribes, consistent with the 

21 objective of reducing recidivism. 

22 SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR REENTRY SERVICES ASSISTANCE HOT23 LINES. 

24 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General is au2 thorized to make grants to States and units of local 

3 government to operate reentry services assistance 

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

5 day, 7 days a week. 

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

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

8 5 years. 

9 (b) HOTLINE REQUIREMENTS.—A grant recipient 

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

11 under subsection (a), that— 

12 (1) the hotline directs individuals to local re13 entry services (as such term is defined in section 

14 2(e)); 

15 (2) any personally identifiable information that 

16 an individual provides to an agency of the State 

17 through the hotline is not directly or indirectly dis18 closed, without the consent of the individual, to any 

19 other agency or entity, or person; 

20 (3) the staff members who operate the hotline 

21 are trained to be knowledgeable about— 

22 (A) applicable Federal, State, and local re23 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 have served a term of imprison17 ment and have completed any court-ordered supervision. 

18 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

19 authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 for each of fis20 cal years 2021 through 2025 to carry out this section. 

Passed the House of Representatives December 8, 

2020. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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