I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5279 
To require the Bureau of Prisons to submit to Congress an annual summary 
report of disaster damage, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 25, 2023 
Mr. LIEU (for himself, Ms. MACE, and Ms. NORTON) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To require the Bureau of Prisons to submit to Congress 
an annual summary report of disaster damage, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Correctional Facility 
Disaster Preparedness Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘major disaster’’ means— 
(1) a major disaster declared by the President 
under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
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Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5170); or 
(2) any natural disaster or extreme weather or 
public health emergency event that— 
(A) causes physical damage to the facility 
or disrupts services under paragraph (2), (4), 
(5), or (6) of section 3(a); and 
(B) the Bureau of Prisons determines is a 
major disaster. 
SEC. 3. BUREAU OF PRISONS ANNUAL SUMMARY REPORT 
OF DISASTER DAMAGE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Bureau of 
Prisons shall submit to the Committee on Appropriations, 
the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Sen-
ate and the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee 
on the Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Security 
of the House of Representatives, the Government Account-
ability Office, and the Office of the Inspector General of 
the Department of Justice an annual summary report of 
disaster damage on the scope of physical damage from a 
major disaster by each Bureau of Prisons facility and its 
contract prisons impacted or struck by a major disaster 
that explains the effects of the damage on inmates and 
staff, including— 
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(1) data on injury and loss of life of inmates 
and staff; 
(2) access to health and medical care, food, spe-
cial dietary needs, drinkable water, personal protec-
tive equipment, and personal hygiene products; 
(3) guidance used to adjudicate early release or 
home confinement requests, data on early release or 
home confinement approvals, denials, and justifica-
tion for denials; 
(4) an explanation as to whether using home 
confinement or early release was considered; 
(5) access to cost-free and uninterrupted visita-
tion with legal counsel and visitors with justifica-
tions for facility decisions that resulted in suspended 
or altered visitations; 
(6) access to appropriate accommodations for 
inmates with disabilities; 
(7) access to educational and work programs; 
(8) inmate grievances; 
(9) assessment of the cost of the damage to the 
facility and estimates for repairs; 
(10) the impact on staffing, equipment, and fi-
nancial resources; and 
(11) other factors relating to the ability of the 
Bureau of Prisons and any existing contract prison 
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to uphold the health, safety, and civil rights of the 
correctional population. 
(b) CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN.—The report re-
quired under subsection (a) shall include agency corrective 
actions that the Bureau of Prisons will take to improve 
and modernize emergency preparedness plans, as they re-
late to natural disasters, extreme weather, and public 
health emergencies and a timeline to implement the cor-
rective action plan. 
(c) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The report required under 
subsection (a) shall include specific legislative rec-
ommendations to Congress for improving emergency pre-
paredness plans within the Bureau of Prisons. 
(d) APPOINTMENT.—Not later than 90 days after the 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Bureau of Pris-
ons shall appoint an official of the Bureau of Prisons re-
sponsible for carrying out the corrective action plan. 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CORRECTIONS. 
Section 4351 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘ten’’ and inserting ‘‘14’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(3) One shall have served a sentence in either 
a Federal or State correctional facility or have a 
professional background advocating on the behalf of 
formerly incarcerated or incarcerated individuals. 
‘‘(4) One shall have a background as an emer-
gency response coordinator that has created an 
emergency management accreditation program. 
‘‘(5) One shall have an educational and profes-
sional background in public health working with 
communicable diseases. 
‘‘(6) One shall represent the labor union that 
represents Bureau of Prisons employees.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(i) FIELD HEARING.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this subsection, the National In-
stitute of Corrections shall conduct at least one public field 
hearing on how correctional facilities can incorporate in 
their emergency preparedness plans and recovery efforts— 
‘‘(1) inmate access to medical care, food, drink-
able water, personal protective equipment, and per-
sonal hygiene products; 
‘‘(2) consideration by staff of using home con-
finement or early release; 
‘‘(3) inmate access to cost-free and uninter-
rupted visitation with legal counsel and visitors with 
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clear standards for when facilities may suspend or 
alter visitations; 
‘‘(4) inmate access to appropriate accommoda-
tions for inmates with disabilities; 
‘‘(5) use of Federal funding to restore disaster- 
damaged correctional facilities; and 
‘‘(6) incorporation by staff of risk management 
best practices, such as those made available under 
the relevant agencies of the Federal Emergency 
Management Administration, Department of Health 
and Human Services, and the Government Account-
ability Office to enhance emergency preparedness 
plans.’’. 
Æ 
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