‘‘(4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 
The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 
‘‘(5) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means 
the Federal Prison Education Program required to 
be established under subsection (b)(1). 
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Assistant Director 
shall establish a Federal Prison Education Program 
to develop and support partnerships between eligible 
providers and Federal correctional facilities to pro-
vide quality educational opportunities to facilitate 
successful community reintegration. 
‘‘(2) SELECTION
OF
ELIGIBLE
PROVIDERS.— 
The Assistant Director shall select eligible providers 
to partner with Federal correctional facilities to de-
velop quality education programs for eligible stu-
dents, such as— 
‘‘(A) adult literacy; 
‘‘(B) basic skills development; 
‘‘(C) education toward a regular high 
school diploma or its recognized equivalent; 
‘‘(D) postsecondary education; 
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‘‘(E) workforce development that leads to 
an industry recognized credential, a certificate, 
or an associate degree; 
‘‘(F) apprenticeships; and 
‘‘(G) career and technical education. 
‘‘(3) QUALITY PROGRAMS.—When determining 
which eligible providers will be selected for participa-
tion in the Program, the Assistant Director shall— 
‘‘(A) consider the evidence that an eligible 
provider demonstrates a strong record on stu-
dent outcomes and successful community re-
integration that shall include— 
‘‘(i) high rates of program completion; 
‘‘(ii) a demonstrated record of a re-
duction in recidivism rates, if available; 
‘‘(iii) success in securing employment, 
if available; 
‘‘(iv) employment retention, if avail-
able; 
‘‘(v) housing stability, if available; and 
‘‘(vi) other relevant factors; and 
‘‘(B) give preference to eligible providers 
that demonstrate success in the categories de-
scribed in subparagraph (A). 
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‘‘(4) DIPLOMA MILLS.—The Assistant Director 
will prevent diploma mills (as defined in section 103 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1003)) from participating in the Program. 
‘‘(c) PARTICIPATION BY ELIGIBLE PROVIDERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible provider that 
desires to participate in the Program under this sec-
tion shall— 
‘‘(A) develop a quality program, in coordi-
nation with the Federal correctional facility 
with which the institution is in partnership, for 
eligible students, in which the Federal correc-
tional facility shall administer the logistics of 
the program, such as— 
‘‘(i) scheduling; 
‘‘(ii) location and space; 
‘‘(iii) security; and 
‘‘(iv) other logistical factors; 
‘‘(B) ensure that all eligible students with-
out a verifiable high school diploma or its rec-
ognized equivalent receive adult literacy, basic 
adult education, skills development, and edu-
cation toward a regular high school diploma or 
its recognized equivalent; and 
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‘‘(C) prioritize workforce development pro-
grams that prepare eligible students for in-de-
mand sectors or occupations from which they 
are not legally barred from entering due to re-
strictions on formerly incarcerated individuals 
obtaining any necessary licenses or certifi-
cations for those occupations, and in doing so, 
providers shall— 
‘‘(i) consider State licensing require-
ments, administrative barriers, and waiver 
provisions that will impact eligible students 
in certain occupations when designing their 
programs; and 
‘‘(ii) inform eligible students prior to 
participation in programs of potential pro-
hibitions or limitations to licensing or em-
ployment upon release depending on the 
program offered and the States in which 
eligible students settle. 
‘‘(2) INFORMATION TO ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.— 
Eligible providers that participate in the Program 
under this section shall, as applicable— 
‘‘(A) disclose to eligible students and the 
Office of Prison Education information about 
any part of the academic program developed 
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under this section that, by design, cannot be 
completed while a student is incarcerated, as 
well as the options available for an eligible stu-
dent to complete any remaining program re-
quirements post-release; 
‘‘(B) offer eligible students who are re-
leased while in enrolled in an education pro-
gram in prison education the opportunity to 
continue the students’ enrollment in the aca-
demic program and transfer credits earned if 
the student is released from the Federal correc-
tional facility prior to completion of the edu-
cation program; 
‘‘(C) inform eligible students of the aca-
demic and financial aid options available if the 
students are not able to complete the academic 
program while incarcerated, including whether 
the eligible students can continue in the pro-
gram after release, transfer credits earned in 
the program to another program offered by the 
institution, or transfer credits earned in the 
program to another institution of higher edu-
cation; 
‘‘(D) for eligible students who wish to con-
tinue their education upon release— 
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‘‘(i) offer academic advising; and 
‘‘(ii) offer appropriate financial aid 
counseling, including Federal and State fi-
nancial aid and student loan counseling; 
and 
‘‘(E) offer eligible students career coun-
seling and job placement assistance upon com-
pletion of an education program in prison and 
release from custody. 
‘‘(3) INFORMATION TO THE OFFICE OF PRISON 
EDUCATION.—An eligible provider that participates 
in the Program under this section shall submit to 
the Assistant Director— 
‘‘(A) a plan for providing academic and ca-
reer guidance to eligible students, as well as 
transition services, to support successful com-
munity reintegration of such students; and 
‘‘(B) relevant information about the eligi-
ble students participating in the Program it re-
lates to subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Assistant Direc-
tor shall work with relevant Federal agencies to provide 
technical assistance to eligible providers, and the Federal 
correctional facilities with which they are in partnership, 
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developing new quality academic programs for eligible stu-
dents, or expanding existing programs. 
‘‘(e) ANNUAL REPORT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible provider that 
participates in the Program, working with the Fed-
eral correctional facility with which it is in partner-
ship, shall submit to the Assistant Director an an-
nual report on the provider’s academic program for 
eligible students, including implementation and re-
sults. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Each annual re-
port submitted under paragraph (1) shall include in-
formation on— 
‘‘(A) courses and programs offered; 
‘‘(B) numbers, rates, and types of certifi-
cates and degrees awarded; 
‘‘(C) the partnership with the Federal cor-
rectional facility, including information on space 
allocation, resources, staffing, and other rel-
evant information on effective collaboration; 
‘‘(D) the effectiveness of the various edu-
cation program’s length, and the value of cre-
dentials or degrees earned with different credit 
length; 
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‘‘(E) the variance of different doses or 
credit length by educational program; 
‘‘(F) the models of instruction, curriculum, 
and other characteristics of program delivery 
that are most effective in a correctional envi-
ronment; 
‘‘(G) challenges in providing programs and 
courses in the prison settings; 
‘‘(H) how such challenges were addressed; 
‘‘(I) suggestions for the agency to assist in 
addressing challenges; 
‘‘(J) impacts on the environment and safe-
ty of the correctional facility; 
‘‘(K) average and projected costs, overall 
and per student, of the program; 
‘‘(L) student demographic data, including 
age, gender, race, ethnicity, and security or cus-
tody level; and 
‘‘(M) other relevant data. 
‘‘(f) EVALUATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Director, in 
coordination with the National Institute of Justice, 
the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Insti-
tute of Corrections, and the Secretary of Education, 
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shall conduct an evaluation of the Program that as-
sesses— 
‘‘(A) in-custody outcomes, including im-
pacts on tickets, segregation, program partici-
pation outside of education, and continued en-
rollment in the Program; 
‘‘(B) post-release outcomes of the Pro-
gram, including— 
‘‘(i) postsecondary enrollment in and 
continuance of education by eligible stu-
dents after release; 
‘‘(ii) degree attainment from an insti-
tution of higher education; 
‘‘(iii) progress toward a degree in 
credits or time; 
‘‘(iv) continued participation in edu-
cational programs after release; 
‘‘(v) factors related to the pursuit of 
education, such as housing attainment; and 
‘‘(vi) other relevant factors; 
‘‘(C) the impact of the Program on safety 
in correctional facilities; 
‘‘(D) the demand for participation in the 
Program, including the size of waiting lists; 
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‘‘(E) employment outcomes of participants 
in the Program; 
‘‘(F) the impact of the Program on recidi-
vism; and 
‘‘(G) other relevant data. 
‘‘(2) DISAGGREGATION.—The data collected 
through the evaluation required under paragraph (1) 
shall, to the extent practicable, be disaggregated by 
program provider to facilitate selection of eligible 
providers under subsection (b). 
‘‘(3) STUDENT OUTCOMES.—The evaluation de-
scribed in paragraph (1) shall gather data on eligible 
students while incarcerated and for the 3- and 5- 
year periods post-release from incarceration. 
‘‘(4) PARTNERSHIP.—The evaluation described 
in paragraph (1) shall be conducted in partnership 
with one or multiple external evaluators. 
‘‘(5) PUBLICATION.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date on which the evaluations required 
under paragraph (1) is completed, the Assistant Di-
rector shall— 
‘‘(A) submit the evaluation, including rec-
ommendations for Program improvements, to 
Congress; and 
‘‘(B) publish the evaluation. 
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‘‘(g) MATCHING FUNDS.—The Federal share of the 
cost of an academic program carried out under this section 
may not exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the aca-
demic program. 
‘‘(h) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—For fiscal years 2020 
through 2026, of the amounts appropriated to the Bureau 
of Prisons, $170,000,000 shall be used to carry out sub-
section (b).’’. 
(b) AMENDMENT TO DUTIES OF THE BUREAU OF 
PRISONS.—Section 4042(a) of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (D)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(D) establish’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘(6) establish’’; and 
(B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (6), as so re-
designated, the following: 
‘‘(7) establish the Office of Prison Education 
required under section 4142; and’’; and 
(3) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘(E) es-
tablish’’ and inserting ‘‘(8) establish’’. 
(c) TABLE OF CHAPTERS AMENDMENT.—The table 
of chapters for part III of title 18, United States Code, 
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is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
307 the following: 
‘‘308. Education ....................................................................................... 4141’’. 
SEC. 5. PRISON EDUCATION RESEARCH, POLICES, AND 
BEST PRACTICES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Director, in col-
laboration with relevant Federal agencies, including the 
Department of Education, State correctional agencies, 
State and local correctional institutions, civil rights orga-
nizations, criminal justice organizations, and research 
agencies and organizations, shall establish and maintain 
a clearinghouse for research, policies, and best practices 
on quality education programs in prison. 
(b) INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC.—The Assistant 
Director shall maintain information and resources on the 
public-facing website of the Bureau of Prisons. 
SEC. 6. TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Director shall use 
funds available to the Bureau of Prisons to provide State 
correctional institutions with training and technical assist-
ance on developing and implementing policies and proce-
dures for quality education programs in prison. 
(b) PARTNERSHIP.—Federal correctional and penal 
institutions with education programs in prison established 
under section 4143 of title 18, United States Code, as 
added by this Act, may partner with State and local cor-
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under section 4143 of title 18, United States Code, 
as added by this Act, when the veteran is incarcer-
ated in a Federal or State correctional facility that 
provides one or more education programs in prison 
that are approved for the use of such assistance; 
(4) provide financial aid counseling related to 
continued educational enrollment and matriculation 
post-release; and 
(5) compile and make available to incarcerated 
veterans a resource guide for incarcerated veterans 
that includes general information about the avail-
ability, post-release, of— 
(A) educational assistance available under 
laws administered by the Secretary; and 
(B) job counseling, training, and place-
ment services available under chapters 41 and 
42 of title 38, United States Code. 
(b) LIMITATION ON PROVISION OF EDUCATIONAL AS-
SISTANCE.— 
(1) MONTHLY HOUSING STIPEND.—A veteran 
with a felony conviction who is incarcerated in a 
Federal or State correctional facility may not re-
ceive, while so incarcerated— 
(A) any monthly housing stipend under 
section 3313 of title 38, United States Code; or 
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(B) any amount under section 3014 of 
such title otherwise payable to help meet the 
veteran’s subsistence costs. 
(2) COSTS COVERED BY OTHER PROGRAMS.— 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Sec-
retary shall reduce the amount of educational assist-
ance that the Secretary would otherwise provide to 
a veteran described in paragraph (1) under a law 
administered by the Secretary for costs of tuition, 
fees, supplies, books, equipment, and other edu-
cational costs relating to pursuing a program of edu-
cation while incarcerated by an amount equal to the 
amount that such costs are paid by another Federal, 
State, or local program. 
Æ 
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