I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8131 
To improve the oversight of inmate accounts, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2024 
Mr. GOODEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. TIFFANY, and Mr. WEBER of Texas) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, 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 com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To improve the oversight of inmate accounts, 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 ‘‘Bureau of Prisons In-
mate Trust Fund Accountability Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PRISON INMATE FUNDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 303 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 4044 
the following: 
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‘‘§ 4044A. Oversight of inmate funds 
‘‘(a) CENTRALIZATION
AND
DIGITIZATION.—Not 
later than September 30, 2025, the Director of the Bu-
reau of Prisons, in coordination with the Director of the 
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, shall centralize 
access to and digitize covered inmate accounts. 
‘‘(b) MONITORING.—Not later than September 30, 
2025, and every 6 months thereafter, the Director of the 
Bureau of Prisons, in coordination with the Director of 
the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, shall monitor 
covered inmate accounts to deter and report illicit finan-
cial activity. 
‘‘(c) MONTHLY
ACCOUNT
INFORMATION
TRANS-
FERS.—Not later than September 30, 2025, and every 
month thereafter, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons 
shall transfer any pertinent account information, including 
deposits and withdrawals, to the Treasury Offset Program 
of the Department of Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal 
Service and the Office of Child Support Enforcement of 
the Department of Health and Human Services. 
‘‘(d) APPLICATION OF TOP TO PRISONER TRUST 
FUNDS.—Covered inmate accounts shall be subject to the 
Treasury Offset Program, operated by the Department of 
the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, with respect 
to any funds exceeding $500 for a fiscal year. 
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‘‘(e) DEBT COLLECTION.—In carrying out subsection 
(d), the following shall apply: 
‘‘(1) 
PRIORITIZATION.—Payments 
shall 
be 
prioritized as follows: 
‘‘(A) Victim restitution. 
‘‘(B) Child support. 
‘‘(C) Other outstanding debts. 
‘‘(2) MANAGEMENT.—Appropriate efforts shall 
be made to assist the inmate in making reasonable 
payments to satisfy the debts of the inmate. 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) COVERED INMATE ACCOUNTS.—The term 
‘covered inmate accounts’ means each inmate ac-
count in the following trust funds: 
‘‘(A) Funds of Federal prisoners. 
‘‘(B) Commissary funds, Federal prisons. 
‘‘(2) DIRECTOR OF THE BUREAU OF PRIONS.— 
The term ‘Director of the Bureau of Prisons’ means 
the Attorney General, acting through the Director of 
the Bureau of Prisons. 
‘‘(3) DIRECTOR OF THE FINANCIAL CRIMES EN-
FORCEMENT NETWORK.—The term ‘Director of the 
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’ means the 
Secretary of the Treasure, acting through the Direc-
tor of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.’’. 
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(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for chapter 303 of title 18, United States Code, is amend-
ed by inserting after the item related to section 4044 the 
following: 
‘‘4044A. Oversight of inmate funds.’’. 
SEC. 3. BUREAU OF PRISONS SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY RE-
PORTS. 
Section 5318(g) of title 31, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraph (11) as para-
graph (12); and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (10) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(11) REPORTING BY THE BUREAU OF PRIS-
ONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The requirement to 
report a suspicious transaction under this sub-
section shall apply to the Attorney General (act-
ing through the Director of the Bureau of Pris-
ons), with respect to transactions in a covered 
trust fund, to the same extent as such require-
ment applies to financial institutions. 
‘‘(B) COVERED TRUST FUND DEFINED.— 
In this paragraph, the term ‘covered inmate ac-
counts’ means each inmate account in the fol-
lowing trust funds: 
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‘‘(i) Funds of Federal prisoners. 
‘‘(ii) Commissary funds, Federal pris-
ons.’’. 
SEC. 4. TASK FORCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General (in con-
sultation with the Director of the Bureau of Prisons and 
the Director of the Executive Office for United States At-
torneys), the Director of the Administrative Office of the 
United States Courts, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (in consultation with the Commissioner of the Of-
fice of Child Support Enforcement), the Secretary of the 
Treasury, and the Director of the United States Marshals 
Service, shall establish a joint task force (referred to in 
this section as the ‘‘Inmate Financial Accountability Task 
Force’’)— 
(1) to develop a strategic plan to improve the 
criminal and civil debt collection process and estab-
lish an effective coordination mechanism among each 
entity involved in such process; and 
(2) to develop a strategic plan to improve over-
sight of Bureau of Prison Inmate Trust Fund Ac-
counts for detecting and deterring illicit financial ac-
tivity and money laundering. 
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(b) REQUIRED REVIEW OF PROCEDURES.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, 
the Inmate Financial Accountability Task Force shall— 
(1) review the long-standing problems in the 
collection of outstanding criminal and civil debt, in-
cluding fragmented processes and lack of coordina-
tion; 
(2) review and enhance training and examina-
tion procedures to improve the capabilities of crimi-
nal and civil debt reporting and collection by Federal 
agencies; 
(3) recommend the proper accounting, report-
ing, collecting, and managing of criminal and civil 
debt eligible for referral to Treasury for collection 
actions; 
(4) review and enhance training and examina-
tions procedures to improve the capabilities of anti- 
money laundering to detect financial transactions re-
lating to Bureau of Prison Inmate Trust Fund Ac-
counts; 
(5) review and enhance procedures for referring 
potential cases relating to money laundering and il-
licit financial activity to the appropriate law enforce-
ment agency; and 
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(6) determine, as appropriate, whether require-
ments for Bureau of Prisons are sufficient to detect 
and deter money laundering relating to Bureau of 
Prison Inmate Trust Fund Accounts. 
(c) REPORTS.— 
(1) CRIMINAL
AND
CIVIL
DEBT
COLLECTION 
REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this section, the Inmate Financial 
Accountability Task Force shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Financial Services and the Committee on 
the Judiciary of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 
and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, 
a report containing— 
(A) an analysis of criminal and civil debt 
collection efforts of the United States Govern-
ment; 
(B) appropriate legislative, administrative, 
and other recommendations to strengthen 
criminal and civil debt collection processes; and 
(C) required recommendations, including— 
(i) feedback from stakeholders, includ-
ing victims of crime advocacy groups, such 
as the National Association of Victim As-
sistance Administrators, National Associa-
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tion of Victim Compensation Board Ad-
ministrators, National Child Support En-
forcement Association, National Tribal 
Child Support Association, National Attor-
ney General Association, Council of Prison 
Locals 33, and financial institutions, on 
policy proposals derived from the analysis 
conducted by the Inmate Financial Ac-
countability Task Force that would en-
hance the efforts and programs of Federal 
and State agencies to improve criminal and 
civil debt reporting and collection, includ-
ing any recommended changes to internal 
policies, procedures, and controls; 
(ii) any recommended changes to ex-
pand information sharing relating to crimi-
nal and civil debt reporting and collection 
between financial institutions, appropriate 
law 
enforcement 
agencies, 
appropriate 
State agencies, and appropriate Federal 
agencies; 
(iii) any recommended changes to en-
hance the efforts and programs of Federal 
and State agencies to improve criminal and 
civil debt reporting and collection and ex-
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pand information sharing of the Bureau of 
Prison Trust Fund Inmate Trust Fund 
Accounts with appropriate law enforcement 
agencies; and 
(iv) any recommended changes, if nec-
essary, to existing statutes to more effec-
tively report and collect criminal and civil 
debt. 
(2) ANTI-MONEY
LAUNDERING
REPORT.—Not 
later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
section, the Inmate Financial Accountability Task 
Force shall submit to the Committee on Financial 
Services and the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee on Bank-
ing, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Committee 
on the Judiciary of the Senate, a report con-
taining— 
(A) an analysis of anti-money laundering 
efforts of the United States Government and 
United States financial institutions relating to 
Bureau of Prison Inmate Trust Fund Accounts; 
(B) appropriate legislative, administrative, 
and other recommendations to improve anti- 
money laundering efforts relating to Bureau of 
Prison Inmate Trust Fund Accounts; and 
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(C) required recommendations, including— 
(i) feedback from Federal agencies on 
best practices of successful programs re-
lated to anti-money laundering efforts in 
place that may be suitable for broader 
adoption by the Director of the Bureau of 
Prison; 
(ii) feedback from stakeholders, in-
cluding law enforcement agencies and fi-
nancial institutions, on policy proposals de-
rived from the analysis conducted by the 
Inmate 
Financial 
Accountability 
Task 
Force that would enhance anti-money 
laundering efforts and oversight of Bureau 
of Prison Inmate Trust Fund Accounts, in-
cluding any recommended changes to inter-
nal policies, procedures, and controls to 
improve anti-money laundering efforts; 
(iii) any recommended changes to 
training programs at the Bureau of Pris-
ons to better equip employees to deter and 
detect money laundering relating to Bu-
reau of Prison Inmate Trust Fund Ac-
counts; and 
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(iv) recommended changes, if nec-
essary, to existing statute to more effec-
tively detect and deter money laundering 
relating to Bureau of Prison Inmate Trust 
Fund Accounts. 
(d) LIMITATION.—Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to grant rulemaking authority to the Task 
Force. 
(e) BUREAU OF PRISON INMATE TRUST FUND AC-
COUNTS.—In this section, the term ‘‘Bureau of Prison In-
mate Trust Fund Accounts’’ refers to the following trust 
funds: 
(1) Funds of Federal prisoners. 
(2) Commissary funds, Federal prisons. 
Æ 
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