“To require the Bureau of Prisons to submit to Congress an annual summary report of disaster damage, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section defines the term "major disaster" for purposes of this Act as (1) a major disaster declared by the President under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170), or (2) any natural disaster, extreme weather, or public health emergency event that causes physical damage to a facility or disrupts services specified in paragraphs (2), (4), (5), or (6) of section 3(a) and that the Bureau of Prisons determines to be a major disaster.
This section requires the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to submit an annual summary report to specified Senate and House committees, the Government Accountability Office, and the Department of Justice Inspector General detailing physical damage from major disasters to Bureau of Prisons facilities and contract prisons, including effects on inmates and staff such as (1) data on injuries and deaths; (2) access to health care, food, water, protective equipment, and hygiene products; (3) early release or home confinement guidance, data, and denial justifications; (4) consideration of such releases; (5) visitation access with justifications for changes; (6) accommodations for inmates with disabilities; (7) educational and work programs; (8) grievances; (9) damage costs and repair estimates; (10) impacts on staffing, equipment, and resources; and (11) factors affecting health, safety, and civil rights. The report must also include (1) a corrective action plan with timelines to improve emergency preparedness for natural disasters, extreme weather, and public health emergencies; and (2) legislative recommendations to Congress. Additionally, this section requires the Director to appoint an official within 90 days of enactment to carry out the corrective action plan.
This section increases the number of appointed members of the Advisory Board for the National Institute of Corrections from 10 to 14 (total board membership thereby increasing from 16 to 20, including 6 ex officio members) by (1) retaining the existing 5 practitioner members and 5 private sector members appointed by the Attorney General and (2) adding 4 new appointed members with specified qualifications: one who has served a sentence in a federal or state correctional facility or has advocated professionally for currently or formerly incarcerated individuals; one with a background as an emergency response coordinator who has created an emergency management accreditation program; one with an educational and professional background in public health related to communicable diseases; and one representing the labor union for Bureau of Prisons employees. The section further directs the National Institute of Corrections (i.e., the federal entity within the Bureau of Prisons that provides training, technical assistance, and information resources to corrections, probation, and parole agencies) to conduct at least one public field hearing not later than one year after enactment on incorporating specified elements into correctional facilities' emergency preparedness plans and recovery efforts, including inmate access to medical care, food, water, protective equipment, and hygiene products; consideration of home confinement or early release; visitation standards; accommodations for inmates with disabilities; use of federal funding for facility restoration; and risk management best practices from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, and Government Accountability Office.