Title: Restoring Access Through Identification Act
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Restoring Access Through Identification Act
This bill revises an existing requirement for the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to help prisoners obtain identification documents during the prerelease planning process.
Specifically, the bill requires such documents be provided at no cost to prisoners. Additionally, the BOP must notify prisoners if it cannot obtain such documents.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4797 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4797

   To amend title 18, United States Code, to require that Bureau of 
    Prisons help Federal prisoners who are being released to obtain 
 appropriate ID to facilitate their reentry into society at no cost to 
                 the prisoner, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 22, 2019

 Mr. Takano (for himself and Mr. Evans) introduced the following bill; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 18, United States Code, to require that Bureau of 
    Prisons help Federal prisoners who are being released to obtain 
 appropriate ID to facilitate their reentry into society at no cost to 
                 the prisoner, 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 ``Restoring Access Through 
Identification Act''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF PHOTO IDENTIFICATION CARD FOR PRISONERS.

    (a) Title 18, United States Code.--Subparagraph (B) of section 
4042(a)(6) of the title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows:
                    ``(B) obtain, at no cost to the prisoner, 
                identification documents, including social security 
                cards, birth certificates, and driver's licenses or 
                State photo identification documents; and''.
    (b) Second Chance Act of 2007.--Section 231(b) of the Second Chance 
Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 60541(b)) is amended by amending paragraph (1) 
to read as follows:
            ``(1) Obtaining identification.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Director shall assist 
                prisoners in obtaining, at no cost to the prisoner, 
                identification documents prior to release from a term 
                of imprisonment in a Federal prison or if the 
                individual was not sentenced to a term of imprisonment 
                in a Federal prison, prior to release from a sentence 
                to a term in community confinement, including a social 
                security card, birth certificate, and driver's license 
                or other State photo identification document.
                    ``(B) Notice to prisoners of inability to obtain 
                documents.--
                            ``(i) Lack of response from federal or 
                        state agency.--If the Director cannot obtain a 
                        copy of a document required to obtain a form of 
                        identification described in subparagraph (A) 
                        because of inaction by the Federal or State 
                        agency from which the document was requested, 
                        the Director shall provide to the prisoner--
                                    ``(I) a written statement that 
                                explains what steps the Director took 
                                in trying to obtain the document; and
                                    ``(II) any documents transmitted to 
                                the Director by the Federal or State 
                                agency in response to the request for 
                                the document.
                            ``(ii) Lack of authorization from 
                        prisoner.--If the Director cannot obtain a copy 
                        of a document required to obtain a form of 
                        identification described in subparagraph (A) 
                        because the prisoner does not provide the 
                        authorization required to obtain the document, 
                        the Director shall provide a written statement 
                        to the prisoner that explains why the document 
                        was not obtained.
                    ``(C) Report.--On an annual basis, the Director 
                shall submit to Congress a report on the receipt of 
                driver's licenses or other State photo identification 
                documents by prisoners described in subparagraph (A) 
                that includes, for the previous year--
                            ``(i) the number of prisoners who received 
                        such an identification document; and
                            ``(ii) the number of prisoners released 
                        without receiving such an identification 
                        document, and the reasons that such prisoners 
                        did not receive such an identification 
                        document.''.
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