Shift Back to Society Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.5016 | Sponsor: Rep. Hill, J. French (R-AR)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Shift Back to Society Act of 2021
This bill directs the Department of Education to establish a pilot program that awards matching grants to historically Black colleges and universities to provide educational programs for eligible offenders to facilitate reentry into the community.
An eligible offender is a convicted criminal offender who has been released from incarceration for not longer than one year or who is scheduled to be released from incarceration within one year.
The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the results of the pilot program.

To authorize the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the 
   Attorney General, to establish a pilot program to make grants to 
  historically Black colleges and universities to provide educational 
programs to offenders who have recently been, or will soon be, released 
              from incarceration, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Shift Back to Society Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. OFFENDER EDUCATION RE-ENTRY PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Authorization.--The Secretary of Education, in consultation 
with the Attorney General, shall establish a pilot program for 5 years 
which awards grants to not more than 10 historically Black colleges and 
universities to provide educational programming to eligible offenders 
in order to facilitate re-entry into the community.
    (b) Application.--The chief executive officer of a historically 
Black college or university seeking a grant under this section shall 
submit to the Secretary of Education an application at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary of 
Education may reasonably require.
    (c) Matching Funds.--The portion of the costs of a program provided 
by a grant under subsection (a) may not exceed 50 percent. The 
recipient of a grant under this section may meet the matching 
requirement under this subsection by making in-kind contributions of 
goods or services that are directly related to the purpose for which 
such grant was awarded.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``educational programming'', when used with 
        respect to a historically Black college or university, means--
                    (A) general education development (GED) 
                programming; or
                    (B) educational courses which are transferable for 
                course credit at that historically Black college or 
                university.
            (2) The term ``eligible offender'' means an individual who 
        was convicted of a criminal offense and--
                    (A) has been released from incarceration for not 
                longer than one year; or
                    (B) is scheduled to be released from incarceration 
                in not longer than one year.
            (3) The term ``historically Black college or university'' 
        has the meaning given the term ``part B institution'' under 
        section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1061(2)).
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each fiscal year 
in which grants are awarded under this section.

SEC. 3. GAO STUDY.

    Not later than 270 days after the conclusion of the pilot program 
under section 2, the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
submit to Congress a report which describes the results of the pilot 
program.
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