I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6500 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish an Office of Prison 

Education, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 29, 2023 

Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania (for herself and Mr. MFUME) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and 

in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 

such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish an 

Office of Prison Education, 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 ‘‘Promoting Reentry 

5 through Education in Prisons Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘PREP 

6 Act of 2023’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

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1 (1) Over the course of an 8-year period fol2 lowing the release of individuals from Federal pris3 ons, the United States Sentencing Commission 

4 found that 49.3 percent of such individuals were re5 arrested, 31.7 percent were reconvicted, and 24.6 

6 percent were reincarcerated. 

7 (2) The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that, 

8 over a similar time period as described in paragraph 

9 (1), 83 percent of people released from State prisons 

10 were rearrested. 

11 (3) A broad spectrum of prison education pro12 gramming can prepare individuals for the contem13 porary workforce pre-release, ensuring that upon re14 lease the individuals are best situated to be produc15 tive members of their communities. 

16 (4) Education for people in prisons has a clear 

17 public safety benefit, reducing recidivism rates by 

18 over 43 percent. 

19 (5) Employment is 13 percent higher for indi20 viduals who participated in either academic or voca21 tional programs in prison, and 28 percent higher for 

22 individuals who participated in vocational programs 

23 alone. 

24 (6) During the first 3 years after an individual 

25 is released, each dollar spent on funding prison eduVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:40 Jan 11, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6500.IH H6500
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1 cation programs reduces incarceration costs by 4 to 

2 5 dollars. 

3 (7) Prison education helps to improve the safety 

4 of the prison environment, not only for incarcerated 

5 individuals, but also for correctional officers and 

6 prison staff. 

7 (8) A 2016 analysis of the Bureau of Prisons 

8 education programs found that the Bureau of Pris9 ons spends 20 percent as much on inmate education 

10 as the nearest-sized State prison systems and experi11 ences a proportionally low return. 

12 (9) The 2016 analysis described in paragraph 

13 (8) also found that the Bureau of Prisons lacked the 

14 staff, programmatic strategy and alignment, budget, 

15 assessment, and educational support to effectively 

16 administer educational programs. 

17 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to create 

18 a dedicated office within the Bureau of Prisons to— 

19 (1) improve the prison education programs pro20 vided by the Bureau of Prisons; 

21 (2) ensure access to quality education programs 

22 across all Federal penal and correctional institu23 tions; 

24 (3) create partnerships with education providers 

25 to offer quality programs; and 

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1 (4) create a repository of research and best 

2 practices for State and local correctional institutions 

3 on quality education programs. 

4 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Assist7 ant Director’’ means the Assistant Director for Pris8 on Education appointed under section 4142(b) of 

9 title 18, United States Code, as added by this Act. 

10 (2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

11 the Director of the Bureau of Prisons. 

12 SEC. 4. OFFICE OF PRISON EDUCATION. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part III of title 18, United States 

14 Code, is amended by inserting after chapter 307 the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘CHAPTER 308—EDUCATION 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘4141. Definitions. 

‘‘4142. Office of Prison Education. 

‘‘4143. Federal Prison Education Program. 

17 ‘‘§ 4141. Definitions 

18 ‘‘In this chapter: 

19 ‘‘(1) ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Assist20 ant Director’ means the Assistant Director for Pris21 on Education appointed under section 4142(b). 

22 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 

23 the Director of the Bureau of Prisons. 

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1 ‘‘(3) DISABILITY.—The term ‘disability’ has the 

2 meaning given the term in section 3 of the Ameri3 cans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

4 12102). 

5 ‘‘(4) REGULAR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.—The 

6 term ‘regular high school diploma’ has the meaning 

7 given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary 

8 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

9 7801). 

10 ‘‘§ 4142. Office of Prison Education 

11 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this chapter are 

12 to— 

13 ‘‘(1) ensure that all Federal penal and correc14 tional institutions provide quality educational pro15 grams for incarcerated individuals; 

16 ‘‘(2) establish an office that will be a nation17 wide repository for research, policies, and best prac18 tices on education in prison; and 

19 ‘‘(3) establish an office that will offer training 

20 and technical assistance for State prison systems in 

21 implementing and administering education programs 

22 in prison. 

23 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF PRISON

24 EDUCATION.—The Director shall establish within the Bu25 reau of Prisons an Office of Prison Education, which shall 

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1 be headed by an Assistant Director for Prison Education 

2 appointed by the Director. 

3 ‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICE OF PRISON EDU4 CATION.—The Office of Prison Education required to be 

5 established under this section shall ensure the provision 

6 of educational services for incarcerated individuals in all 

7 Federal penal and correctional institutions, including pro8 grams such as adult literacy, basic skills development, 

9 education toward a regular high school diploma or its rec10 ognized equivalent, postsecondary education, workforce 

11 development that leads to an industry-recognized creden12 tial, a certificate, or an associate degree, pre-apprentice13 ships, registered apprenticeships, career and technical 

14 education, and expanded opportunities for individuals with 

15 a disability, including by— 

16 ‘‘(1) implementing the Federal Prison Edu17 cation Program under section 4143; 

18 ‘‘(2) coordinating and standardizing quality, 

19 evidence-based, and effective education programs in 

20 prison and services across all Federal penal and cor21 rectional institutions; 

22 ‘‘(3) coordinating relevant Federal agencies in 

23 providing quality educational services, including by 

24 consulting with the Office of Career, Technical, and 

25 Adult Education of the Department of Education; 

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1 ‘‘(4) coordinating with the Secretary of Vet2 erans Affairs to identify and provide information to 

3 incarcerated veterans regarding potential eligibility 

4 for educational assistance under laws administered 

5 by the Secretary, including educational assistance 

6 under chapters 30 and 33 of title 38, United States 

7 Code; 

8 ‘‘(5) conducting research and issuing reports on 

9 education programs in prison, including on best 

10 practices, particularly as it relates to pedagogy and 

11 instruction of incarcerated people; 

12 ‘‘(6) providing training and technical assistance 

13 for State prison systems to improve education pro14 grams in prison; and 

15 ‘‘(7) coordinating with the Bureau of Justice 

16 Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, National 

17 Center for Education Statistics, the National Insti18 tute of Corrections, and other relevant agencies as 

19 designated by the Assistant Director in collecting 

20 and reporting Federal and State data on— 

21 ‘‘(A) the number of individuals who enroll 

22 in and complete an education program in pris23 on, including a regular high school diploma or 

24 its recognized equivalent, a career and technical 

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1 education sequence, or a postsecondary degree 

2 or certificate; 

3 ‘‘(B) the number of individuals who do not 

4 complete an education program in prison and 

5 the reasons for non-completion; 

6 ‘‘(C) any State or Federal prohibitions or 

7 limitations on employment for individuals with 

8 felony convictions who complete an education 

9 program in prison; 

10 ‘‘(D) the correlation between participating 

11 in or completing an education program in pris12 on and continued educational enrollment, both 

13 in-custody and post-release; 

14 ‘‘(E) the correlation between participating 

15 in and completing an education program in 

16 prison with post-release outcomes, including job 

17 placement, job retention, and recidivism; 

18 ‘‘(F) the correlation between participating 

19 in and completing an education program in 

20 prison with in-custody outcomes, including en21 rollment in other education or training pro22 grams and reduction in citations; 

23 ‘‘(G) the impact of the correlations de24 scribed in subparagraphs (C) through (F) on 

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1 overall corrections spending through factors 

2 such as— 

3 ‘‘(i) impacts on recidivism; 

4 ‘‘(ii) spending on Federal penal and 

5 correctional institutions and State prisons; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(iii) other relevant factors; and 

8 ‘‘(H) other relevant data. 

9 ‘‘§ 4143. Federal Prison Education Program 

10 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 ‘‘(1) COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION; LOCAL

12 EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The terms ‘community13 based organization’ and ‘local educational agency’ 

14 have the meanings given such terms in section 8101 

15 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

16 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

17 ‘‘(2) DEMONSTRATED EFFECTIVENESS.—The 

18 term ‘demonstrated effectiveness’ means the past ef19 fectiveness of an eligible provider demonstrated by 

20 providing— 

21 ‘‘(A) performance data on its record of im22 proving the skills of eligible students, particu23 larly eligible individuals who have low levels of 

24 literacy, in the content domains of reading, 

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1 writing, mathematics, English language acquisi2 tion, and other relevant subject areas; and 

3 ‘‘(B) information regarding its outcomes 

4 for participants related to program completion, 

5 employment attainment, pursuit of additional 

6 education, and other relevant factors. 

7 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE PROVIDER.—The term ‘eligible 

8 provider’ means an organization that has dem9 onstrated effectiveness in providing programs such 

10 as adult literacy, basic skills development, education 

11 toward a regular high school diploma or its recog12 nized equivalent, postsecondary education, workforce 

13 readiness, apprenticeships, career and technical edu14 cation, and programing individuals with learning dis15 abilities, which may include— 

16 ‘‘(A) an institution of higher education; 

17 ‘‘(B) a local educational agency; 

18 ‘‘(C) a community-based organization or 

19 faith-based organization; 

20 ‘‘(D) a volunteer literacy organization; 

21 ‘‘(E) a public or private nonprofit agency; 

22 ‘‘(F) a nonprofit institution that is not de23 scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (E) and 

24 has the ability to provide adult education and 

25 literacy activities to eligible individuals; 

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1 ‘‘(G) a consortium or coalition of the agen2 cies, organizations, and institutions described in 

3 any of subparagraphs (A) through (F); and 

4 ‘‘(H) a partnership between an employer 

5 and an entity described in any of subpara6 graphs (A) through (G). 

7 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—The term ‘eligible 

8 student’ means an individual who is incarcerated in 

9 a Federal correctional facility. 

10 ‘‘(5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

11 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

12 meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the 

13 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

14 ‘‘(6) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means 

15 the Federal Prison Education Program required to 

16 be established under subsection (b)(1). 

17 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Director 

19 shall establish a Federal Prison Education Program 

20 to develop and support partnerships between eligible 

21 providers and Federal correctional facilities to pro22 vide quality educational opportunities to facilitate 

23 successful community reintegration. 

24 ‘‘(2) SELECTION OF ELIGIBLE PROVIDERS.— 

25 The Assistant Director shall select eligible providers 

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1 to partner with Federal correctional facilities to de2 velop quality education programs for eligible stu3 dents, such as— 

4 ‘‘(A) adult literacy; 

5 ‘‘(B) basic skills development; 

6 ‘‘(C) education toward a regular high 

7 school diploma or its recognized equivalent; 

8 ‘‘(D) postsecondary education; 

9 ‘‘(E) workforce development that leads to 

10 an industry recognized credential, a certificate, 

11 or an associate degree; 

12 ‘‘(F) apprenticeships; and 

13 ‘‘(G) career and technical education. 

14 ‘‘(3) QUALITY PROGRAMS.—When determining 

15 which eligible providers will be selected for participa16 tion in the Program, the Assistant Director shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) consider the evidence that an eligible 

18 provider demonstrates a strong record on stu19 dent outcomes and successful community re20 integration, which shall include— 

21 ‘‘(i) high rates of program completion; 

22 ‘‘(ii) a demonstrated record of a re23 duction in recidivism rates, if available; 

24 ‘‘(iii) success in securing employment, 

25 if available; 

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1 ‘‘(iv) employment retention, if avail2 able; 

3 ‘‘(v) housing stability, if available; and 

4 ‘‘(vi) other relevant factors; and 

5 ‘‘(B) give preference to eligible providers 

6 that demonstrate success in the categories de7 scribed in subparagraph (A). 

8 ‘‘(4) DIPLOMA MILLS.—The Assistant Director 

9 will prevent diploma mills (as defined in section 103 

10 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

11 1003)) from participating in the Program. 

12 ‘‘(c) PARTICIPATION BY ELIGIBLE PROVIDERS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible provider that 

14 desires to participate in the Program under this sec15 tion shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) develop a quality program, in coordi17 nation with the Federal correctional facility 

18 with which the institution is in partnership, for 

19 eligible students, in which the Federal correc20 tional facility shall administer the logistics of 

21 the program, such as— 

22 ‘‘(i) scheduling; 

23 ‘‘(ii) location and space; 

24 ‘‘(iii) security; and 

25 ‘‘(iv) other logistical factors; 

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1 ‘‘(B) ensure that all eligible students with2 out a regular high school diploma or its recog3 nized equivalent receive adult literacy, basic 

4 adult education, skills development, and edu5 cation toward a regular high school diploma or 

6 its recognized equivalent; and 

7 ‘‘(C) prioritize workforce development pro8 grams that prepare eligible students for in-de9 mand sectors or occupations from which they 

10 are not legally barred from entering due to re11 strictions on formerly incarcerated individuals 

12 obtaining any necessary licenses or certifi13 cations for those occupations, and in doing so, 

14 providers shall— 

15 ‘‘(i) consider State licensing require16 ments, administrative barriers, and waiver 

17 provisions that will impact eligible students 

18 in certain occupations when designing their 

19 programs; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) inform eligible students prior to 

21 participation in programs of potential pro22 hibitions or limitations to licensing or em23 ployment upon release depending on the 

24 program offered and the States in which 

25 eligible students settle. 

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1 ‘‘(2) INFORMATION TO ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.— 

2 Eligible providers that participate in the Program 

3 under this section shall, as applicable— 

4 ‘‘(A) disclose to eligible students and the 

5 Office of Prison Education information about 

6 any part of the academic program developed 

7 under this section that, by design, cannot be 

8 completed while a student is incarcerated, as 

9 well as the options available for an eligible stu10 dent to complete any remaining program re11 quirements post-release; 

12 ‘‘(B) offer eligible students who are re13 leased while enrolled in an education program 

14 in prison education the opportunity to continue 

15 the students’ enrollment in the academic pro16 gram and transfer credits earned; 

17 ‘‘(C) inform eligible students of the aca18 demic and financial aid options available if the 

19 eligible students are not able to complete the 

20 academic program while incarcerated, including 

21 whether the eligible students can continue in 

22 the program after release, transfer credits 

23 earned in the program to another program of24 fered by the institution, or transfer credits 

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1 earned in the program to another institution of 

2 higher education; 

3 ‘‘(D) for eligible students who wish to con4 tinue their education upon release— 

5 ‘‘(i) offer academic advising; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) offer appropriate financial aid 

7 counseling, including Federal and State fi8 nancial aid and student loan counseling; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(E) offer eligible students career coun11 seling and job placement assistance upon com12 pletion of an education program in prison and 

13 release from custody. 

14 ‘‘(3) INFORMATION TO THE OFFICE OF PRISON

15 EDUCATION.—An eligible provider that participates 

16 in the Program under this section shall submit to 

17 the Assistant Director— 

18 ‘‘(A) a plan for providing academic and ca19 reer guidance to eligible students, as well as 

20 transition services, to support successful com21 munity reintegration of such students; and 

22 ‘‘(B) relevant information about the eligi23 ble students participating in the Program it re24 lates to subparagraph (A). 

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1 ‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Assistant Direc2 tor shall work with relevant Federal agencies to provide 

3 technical assistance to eligible providers, and the Federal 

4 correctional facilities with which they are in partnership, 

5 developing new quality academic programs for eligible stu6 dents, or expanding existing programs. 

7 ‘‘(e) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible provider that 

9 participates in the Program, working with the Fed10 eral correctional facility with which it is in partner11 ship, shall submit to the Assistant Director an an12 nual report on the provider’s academic program for 

13 eligible students, including implementation and re14 sults. 

15 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Each annual re16 port submitted under paragraph (1) shall include in17 formation on— 

18 ‘‘(A) courses and programs offered; 

19 ‘‘(B) numbers, rates, and types of certifi20 cates and degrees awarded; 

21 ‘‘(C) the partnership with the Federal cor22 rectional facility, including information on space 

23 allocation, resources, staffing, and other rel24 evant information on effective collaboration; 

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1 ‘‘(D) the effectiveness of the various edu2 cation program’s length, and the value of cre3 dentials or degrees earned with different credit 

4 length; 

5 ‘‘(E) the variance of different doses or 

6 credit length by educational program; 

7 ‘‘(F) the models of instruction, curriculum, 

8 and other characteristics of program delivery 

9 that are most effective in a correctional envi10 ronment; 

11 ‘‘(G) challenges in providing programs and 

12 courses in the prison settings; 

13 ‘‘(H) how such challenges were addressed; 

14 ‘‘(I) suggestions for the agency to assist in 

15 addressing such challenges; 

16 ‘‘(J) impacts on the environment and safe17 ty of the correctional facility; 

18 ‘‘(K) average and projected costs, overall 

19 and per student, of the programs and courses 

20 offered by the eligible provider; 

21 ‘‘(L) student demographic data, including 

22 age, gender, race, ethnicity, and security or cus23 tody level; and 

24 ‘‘(M) other relevant data. 

25 ‘‘(f) EVALUATION.— 

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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Director, in 

2 coordination with the National Institute of Justice, 

3 the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Insti4 tute of Corrections, and the Secretary of Education, 

5 shall conduct an evaluation of the Program that as6 sesses— 

7 ‘‘(A) in-custody outcomes, including im8 pacts on tickets, segregation, program partici9 pation outside of education, and continued en10 rollment in the Program; 

11 ‘‘(B) post-release outcomes of the Pro12 gram, including— 

13 ‘‘(i) postsecondary enrollment and 

14 continuance of education by eligible stu15 dents after release; 

16 ‘‘(ii) degree attainment from an insti17 tution of higher education; 

18 ‘‘(iii) progress toward a degree in 

19 credits or time; 

20 ‘‘(iv) continued participation in edu21 cational programs after release; 

22 ‘‘(v) factors related to the pursuit of 

23 education, such as housing attainment; and 

24 ‘‘(vi) other relevant factors; 

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1 ‘‘(C) the impact of the Program on safety 

2 in correctional facilities; 

3 ‘‘(D) the demand for participation in the 

4 Program, including the size of waiting lists; 

5 ‘‘(E) employment outcomes of participants 

6 in the Program; 

7 ‘‘(F) the impact of the Program on recidi8 vism; and 

9 ‘‘(G) other relevant data. 

10 ‘‘(2) DISAGGREGATION.—The data collected 

11 through the evaluation required under paragraph (1) 

12 shall, to the extent practicable, be disaggregated by 

13 eligible provider, to facilitate selection of eligible pro14 viders under subsection (b) by the Assistant Director 

15 in subsequent years. 

16 ‘‘(3) STUDENT OUTCOMES.—The evaluation de17 scribed in paragraph (1) shall gather data on eligible 

18 students while incarcerated and for the 3- and 5- 

19 year periods post-release from incarceration. 

20 ‘‘(4) PARTNERSHIP.—The evaluation described 

21 in paragraph (1) shall be conducted in partnership 

22 with one or multiple external evaluators. 

23 ‘‘(5) PUBLICATION.—Not later than 180 days 

24 after the date on which the evaluation required 

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1 under paragraph (1) is completed, the Assistant Di2 rector shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) submit the evaluation, including rec4 ommendations for Program improvements, to 

5 Congress; and 

6 ‘‘(B) publish the evaluation. 

7 ‘‘(g) MATCHING FUNDS.—The Federal share of the 

8 cost of an academic program carried out under this section 

9 may not exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the aca10 demic program. 

11 ‘‘(h) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—For fiscal years 2024 

12 through 2030, of the amounts appropriated to the Bureau 

13 of Prisons, $170,000,000 shall be used to carry out sub14 section (b).’’. 

15 (b) AMENDMENT TO DUTIES OF THE BUREAU OF

16 PRISONS.—Section 4042(a) of title 18, United States 

17 Code, is amended— 

18 (1) in paragraph (6)(C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

19 the end; 

20 (2) by redesignating paragraph (7) as para21 graph (8); and 

22 (3) by inserting after paragraph (6) the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(7) establish the Office of Prison Education 

25 required under section 4142; and’’. 

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1 (c) TABLE OF CHAPTERS AMENDMENT.—The table 

2 of chapters for part III of title 18, United States Code, 

3 is amended by inserting after the item relating to chapter 

4 307 the following: 

‘‘308. Education .................................................................................. 4141’’. 

5 SEC. 5. PRISON EDUCATION RESEARCH, POLICES, AND 

6 BEST PRACTICES. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Director, in col8 laboration with relevant Federal agencies, including the 

9 Department of Education, State correctional agencies, 

10 State and local correctional institutions, civil rights orga11 nizations, criminal justice organizations, and research 

12 agencies and organizations, shall establish and maintain 

13 a clearinghouse for research, policies, and best practices 

14 on quality education programs in prison. 

15 (b) INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC.—The Assistant 

16 Director shall maintain information and resources on the 

17 public-facing website of the Bureau of Prisons. 

18 SEC. 6. TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Director shall use 

20 funds available to the Bureau of Prisons to provide State 

21 correctional institutions with training and technical assist22 ance on developing and implementing policies and proce23 dures for quality education programs in prison. 

24 (b) PARTNERSHIP.—Federal correctional and penal 

25 institutions with education programs in prison established 

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1 under section 4143 of title 18, United States Code, as 

2 added by this Act, may partner with State and local cor3 rectional institutions and education providers located in 

4 the same State or region to facilitate training and tech5 nical assistance to improve the quality of correctional edu6 cation offered in State prisons. 

7 SEC. 7. PRISON EDUCATION FOR INCARCERATED VET8 ERANS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Af10 fairs, in coordination with the Director and State correc11 tional agencies, shall— 

12 (1) carry out a program of outreach to inform 

13 veterans incarcerated in a Federal or State correc14 tional facility about potential eligibility for edu15 cational assistance under laws administered by the 

16 Secretary, including educational assistance under 

17 chapters 30 and 33 of title 38, United States Code; 

18 (2) ensure that educational assistance under 

19 laws administered by the Secretary is available to a 

20 veteran who is incarcerated as described in para21 graph (1) and otherwise eligible for the assistance; 

22 (3) assist each veteran who is incarcerated as 

23 described in paragraph (1) and eligible for edu24 cational assistance under a law administered by the 

25 Secretary by connecting the veteran to one or more 

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1 quality education programs in prison, including the 

2 Federal Prison Education Program established 

3 under section 4143 of title 18, United States Code, 

4 as added by this Act, when the veteran is incarcer5 ated in a Federal or State correctional facility that 

6 provides one or more education programs in prison 

7 that are approved for the use of such assistance; 

8 (4) provide financial aid counseling related to 

9 continued educational enrollment and matriculation 

10 post-release; and 

11 (5) compile and make available to incarcerated 

12 veterans a resource guide for incarcerated veterans 

13 that includes general information about the avail14 ability, post-release, of— 

15 (A) educational assistance available under 

16 laws administered by the Secretary; and 

17 (B) job counseling, training, and place18 ment services available under chapters 41 and 

19 42 of title 38, United States Code. 

20 (b) LIMITATION ON PROVISION OF EDUCATIONAL AS21 SISTANCE.— 

22 (1) MONTHLY HOUSING STIPEND.—A veteran 

23 with a felony conviction who is incarcerated in a 

24 Federal or State correctional facility may not re25 ceive, while so incarcerated— 

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1 (A) any monthly housing stipend under 

2 section 3313 of title 38, United States Code; or 

3 (B) any amount under section 3014 of 

4 such title otherwise payable to help meet the 

5 veteran’s subsistence costs. 

6 (2) COSTS COVERED BY OTHER PROGRAMS.— 

7 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Sec8 retary shall reduce the amount of educational assist9 ance that the Secretary would otherwise provide to 

10 a veteran described in paragraph (1) under a law 

11 administered by the Secretary for costs of tuition, 

12 fees, supplies, books, equipment, and other edu13 cational costs relating to pursuing a program of edu14 cation while incarcerated by an amount equal to the 

15 amount that such costs are paid by another Federal, 

16 State, or local program. 

Æ