I 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7247 
To establish a program to make grants for the establishment of prison 
libraries. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 27, 2026 
Mr. CLEAVER (for himself, Ms. BROWN, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. 
SIMON, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. 
DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. CASE, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. FIELDS, 
Ms. TLAIB, Mr. THANEDAR, Mr. THOMPSON
of Mississippi, Mrs. 
MCIVER, Mr. EVANS of Pennsylvania, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. 
CROCKETT, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. DELBENE, Ms. RANDALL, and 
Ms. NORTON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To establish a program to make grants for the establishment 
of prison libraries. 
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 ‘‘Prison Libraries Act 
of 2026’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:50 Feb 06, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7247.IH
H7247
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish a program 
to make grants to eligible applicants for the purpose of 
providing library services to incarcerated individuals in 
order to advance reintegration efforts, reduce recidivism, 
and increase educational opportunities. 
SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. 
An eligible grantee under this Act is any State or ter-
ritory that submits an application that includes the fol-
lowing: 
(1) A comprehensive plan for how the grant will 
be used, including project objectives, program de-
sign, and evaluation process. 
(2) Proof of the existence of a physical library 
at a correctional facility or the intention of creating 
one. 
(3) Data on the demographics of the population 
of the facility sufficient to demonstrate a compelling 
need for funding, including educational level of pris-
on population, rates of recidivism, socioeconomic 
breakdown of the prison population or any other rel-
evant data. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:50 Feb 06, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7247.IH
H7247
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
SEC. 4. USE OF FUNDS. 
Grant amounts shall be used to provide library serv-
ices to incarcerated individuals as set forth in section 2, 
and may include usage for any of the following: 
(1) Education and job training. 
(2) Acquisition of modern materials and equip-
ment that reflect the interests, identities, abilities, 
and languages of the prison population. 
(3) Expansion of the infrastructure of prison li-
braries to be less restrictive, safety permitted, and 
more welcoming with design and decor. 
(4) Hiring of qualified librarians and staff to 
manage the libraries, their resources, and services 
and serve as the social coordinator for organized ac-
tivities and events, and who hold the following quali-
fications: 
(A) Have practical library management ex-
perience. 
(B) Demonstrated ability to catalogue, ar-
chive, and maintain databases and E-resources. 
(C) Demonstrated ability to organize week-
ly, bi-weekly, and monthly events and activities. 
(5) Literary training. 
(6) Digital literacy training. 
(7) Career readiness programming. 
(8) Civic engagement programs. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:50 Feb 06, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7247.IH
H7247
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(9) Restorative justice programs. 
(10) Resident led programs. 
(11) Health and wellness activities. 
(12) Cultural exchange and appreciation pro-
grams, events, and activities. 
(13) Computer (including laptops) and internet 
access. 
(14) Book discussion programs. 
(15) Language services, including free English 
classes. 
(16) Audiobooks and accessible reading mate-
rials for the visually impaired and print disabled. 
(17) eBooks. 
(18) Management of book donation programs. 
(19) Audio and visual materials or multimedia. 
(20) Artistic programing such as painting, cre-
ative writing, poetry slams, drama, or music. 
(21) Financial literacy. 
(22) Family literacy activities facilitated during 
in-person visits. 
(23) Resource fairs. 
(24) Making reasonable efforts towards building 
a working relationship with local public libraries, in-
cluding— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:50 Feb 06, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7247.IH
H7247
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(A) adoption of a standardized guideline 
for library management; 
(B) sharing of resources and materials 
through an interlibrary loan arrangement; and 
(C) implementation of coordinated orga-
nized events and activities. 
SEC. 5. PROHIBITED USES. 
Grant amounts may not be used for the following: 
(1) Purchasing food, clothes, shoes, or hygiene 
supplies. 
(2) Payment of employee salary and benefits 
unassociated with prison libraries. 
(3) Physical and mental care for incarcerated 
individuals. 
(4) Incarcerated individual transportation. 
(5) Staff training unrelated to the library serv-
ices. 
(6) General administrative functions or oper-
ations of the prison. 
(7) Facility maintenance aside from the librar-
ies. 
(8) Other obligations imposed on the facility by 
law, including establishment of maintenance of a law 
library. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:50 Feb 06, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7247.IH
H7247
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(9) Any other use unrelated to library services, 
resources, and management. 
SEC. 6. PRIORITIZATION. 
The Attorney General shall, in making grants under 
this Act, comply with the following: 
(1) The Attorney General shall prioritize mak-
ing awards to grantees that are the following: 
(A) Applicants that follow local and or na-
tional standards and guidelines for library man-
agement. 
(B) Applicants that add or prioritize post- 
secondary education curriculum to library pro-
gramming. 
(C) Applicants with plans for tangible, 
positive, and measurable impact for their prison 
population, including— 
(i) plans for increasing literacy rates; 
(ii) plans for increased secondary and 
post-secondary enrollment and graduation 
rates; 
(iii) plans for development of technical 
and vocational skills; 
(iv) plans for expanded access to em-
ployment opportunities post-release; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:50 Feb 06, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7247.IH
H7247
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(v) any other factors that the Attor-
ney General determines appropriate. 
(D) Applicants with plans for numerous 
initiatives to maximize benefits and services for 
their prison population. 
(2) The Attorney General shall ensure geo-
graphic diversity as between grantees with regard to 
the States and territories and between urban and 
rural areas. 
(3) The Attorney General shall establish a re-
porting system to monitor progress, performance, 
and expenditures of grantees. 
SEC. 7. TERM. 
A grant under this Act shall be for term of one year, 
and may be renewed annually for a period of not more 
than 6 years in total. 
SEC. 8. REPORTING. 
Grantees shall submit annual performance measures, 
including library activity statistics and program outcomes, 
and expenditure reports to systems established by the At-
torney General under section 6(4). 
SEC. 9. CONDITIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—A grantee may not charge a fee 
to any incarcerated individual for the following: 
(1) Access to physical books. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:50 Feb 06, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7247.IH
H7247
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(2) Access to eBook and audiobooks. 
(3) Access to computers (including laptops) and 
the internet within the library. 
(4) Access to educational and artistic materials 
needed to facilitate learning, training, and or activi-
ties, including notebooks, pens, pencils, paints, and 
similar supplies. 
(5) Printing services. 
(6) Any other library services or resources. 
(b) AVAILABILITY
FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM-
MING.—A grantee shall make the library space available 
to post-secondary organizations and personnel for edu-
cational programming. 
SEC. 10. CONSULTATION. 
The Attorney General shall consult with the Director 
of the Institute of Museum and Library Services in imple-
menting this Act. 
SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 
2031. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:50 Feb 06, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H7247.IH
H7247
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS