Legislative Dysfunction at its Finest (Omnibus Bill)- Where’s the Equal Act parity?

VENTING……….

Aside from the typos and misinformation, this Omnibus is really a joke from a prison perspective! The Below information is a cut and pasted from Senate.gov and very unprofessional. 

First issue I see, 

“OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL The agreement includes $139,000.000 for the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and includes $4,000,000 for OIG to establish an interdisciplinary team dedicated to the oversight of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).”

My question is are they really going to spend 4 million to establish a “team” when they have wasted millions on this alleged “Independent Review Committee” for the FSA?  The DOJ-IG already has BOP prison oversight, and you see the effectiveness of that in the “Rape Club” and the countless other DOJ reports which have been ineffective. What about the Millions spent on “The Colson Task Force” – The swamp at its finest.  

The rest of this is bill is disturbing for many reasons and shows why DC is an incestuous broken system of graft and corruption.  Keep in mind, the BOP has over two thousand more employees more than they had in the mid 2000’s when the population was the exactly the same.

“FEDERAL PRISON SYSTEM SALARIES AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) The agreement includes $8,392,588,000 for the salaries and expenses of the Federal Prison System. The agreement fully funds the requested $409,483,000 for programs and activities authorized by the First Step Act of2018 (FSA), including medication-assisted treatment, FSA programming staft~ and Special Education instructors at each Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facility. The agreement includes $180,460,000 above the request to sustain and increase BOP hiring efforts, and $25.560,000 for BOP’s Land Mobile Radio and Video Security upgrades. The agreement also includes new language providing that not less than two percent of the FSA funding may be transferred to the National Institute of Justice to carry out required evaluations of FSA programs and activities. Within the funding provided for FSA, the agreement supports up to $1,200,000 for an initiative to satisfy the FSA requirement for an evidence-based dyslexia screener, and BOP is directed to report not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this act on its implementation of this initiative. For fiscal year 2023, BOP is directed to continue following the directives in the joint explanatory statement accompanying Public Law 117-103 on the following topics: “Overtime Pay Rate,” ”Correctional Officer Pay,” “First Step Act (FSA) Implementation,” “Additional Requirements of the FSA,” “Residential Reentry Centers,” ”Home Confinement,” and “Inmate Mental Health and Restrictive Housing.” BOP shall submit updated reports consistent with the directives. DOJ and BOP are reminded of the requirement to submit all reports to the Committees on time, including those required quarterly. 78 Augmentation.-BOP is directed to continue following the directives and reporting requirements in the joint explanatory statement accompanying Public Law 117-103 on the topic “‘Augmentation.” In addition, BOP is directed to ensure that non-custody correctional employees must spend 90 percent of their work week in their primary positions. Hiring, Staffing and Vacancies.-BOP shall provide a report to the Committees not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this act on the status of its efforts to recruit and retain employees, including its outreach and its use of retention and recruitment incentives, as well as the rate at which these incentives have maintained parity with other Federal agencies and inflation. BOP shall continue to follow the directives in the joint explanatory statement accompanying Public Law 117-103 under the headings “”Hiring, Staffing, and Inmate-to-Officer Ratios” and ··vacancies,” and to update all associated reports consistent with those directives. ( ‘orrectional (!fficer Pay.-BOP, in consultation with the DOJ Justice Management Division, is directed to review current pay scales for its correctional officers in comparison to comparable employees in DOJ law enforcement components and State and local agencies, to include assessing the potential opportunity to raise the pay band and any associated resource requirements. The results of the review shall be shared with the Committees not later than 180 days atter the date of enactment of this act. First Step Act Implementation and Additional Requirements £?/”the FSA.- BOP shall ‘v continue to follow directives under these headings in the joint explanatory statement accompanying Public Law 117-103. [n addition, with regard to FSA Evidence-Based Recidivism Reduction (EBRR) and Productive Activities (PA) requirements BOP shall report not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this act on: ( l) whether each approved EBRR and PA is internal, BOP-contracted, or an external third-party program; (2) any difference in the criteria and evaluation process for suitability of such programs; (3) the number of external faith-based programs that sought to qualify as an EBRR and PAs under FSA, including the number denied, number of requests pending, names of accepted applicants and faith affiliation, if any; (4) BOP actions to promote submissions of external programs for consideration as EBRRs and PAs; and (5) list of “faithbased recidivism-reduction partnerships” reported in the Bureau of Justice Statistics reporting on FSA implementation. The report shall describe efforts to fill vacant programming and other 79 dedicated FSA positions. improve EBRR credit calculation transparency, EBRR programming available, the hours of EBRR credit participants earn for participation in such programs, and the need for and availability of medication-assisted treatment at each BOP facility. Reentry CJuidancefi>r Prison Education Programs.-DOJ is encouraged to collaborate with the Department of Education in developing and providing technical assistance to the BOP, State departments of corrections, and other entities responsible for preparing individuals to leave prison, enter their communities, continue education, or seek employment. BOP shall provide guidance on best practices for integrating reentry planning for participants in prison education programs, which should address evidence-based strategies to ensure successful entry. BOP Facilities and Residential Reentry Centers (RRCs) Study.-BOP is directed to conduct a study on the need for and feasibility of establishing a BOP facility in Alaska, to include potential cost, size, and location, as well as on the feasibility of expanding RRC capacity in Alaska and Hawaii to help those released from incarceration reenter their community per FSA requirements. BOP shall submit this study within 180 days of the date of the enactment of this act. Roadmap to Reentry.- BOP is directed to reestablish and begin implementing the principles identified in the Justice Department’s ·’Roadmap to Reentry.” including: (1) individualized reentry plans for individuals; (2) access to education, employment training, life skills. substance abuse, mental health, and other programs; (3) resources and opportunities to build and maintain family relationships; (4) individualized continuity of care; and (5) comprehensive reentry-related information and access to resources. Extreme Weather Plans.-BOP shall issue clear and consistent policies and guidance across all BOP facilities regarding preparations for and responses to extreme weather events, including by establishing temperature thresholds for health and safety at BOP facilities. of this act to the Committees on Appropriations, Judiciary, and Homeland Security and Disaster Damage. – BOP shall report not later than 180 days after the date of enactment ar: .. — Government Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate on the scope of physical damage during fiscal years 2015- 2022 from storm damage at BOP-owned or managed facilities, and other impacts, to include: (I) injury and loss oflife; (2) impact on provision of healthcare, dietary services, water, personal protective equipment, and personal hygiene products; (3) 80 handling of early release or home confinement requests; ( 4) access to cost-free, uninterrupted access to legal counsel and visitors; (5) access to appropriate accommodations for inmates with disabilities; (6) access to educational and work programs; (7) assessment of the cost of facility damage and estimates for repairs; (8) the impact on staffing, equipment, and financial resources; and (9) other factors affecting health, safety, and civil rights of the correctional population. This report shall include any corrective actions BOP has undertaken or plans to undertake to improve and modernize emergency preparedness plans, as they relate to natural disasters, extreme weather, and public health emergencies and a timeline to implement any corrective action plans. This report shall also include agency corrective actions that BOP has undertaken or plans to undertake to improve and modernize emergency preparedness plans, as they relate to natural disasters, extreme weather, and public health emergencies and a timeline to implement any corrective action plans. Swift-Certain-Fair (SCF) Model in the Federal Prison System.-The SCF model has proven to be an effective deterrent for incarcerated populations in State and local corrections settings. BOP is directed to study the feasibility of establishing SCF pilot programs in BOP housing units based upon best practices developed by other applicable corrections agencies. BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES The agreement includes $290,000,000 for the construction, acquisition, modernization, maintenance, and repair of prison and detention facilities housing Federal inmates, of which $182,000,000 is included under this heading in division N. BOP shall proceed with ongoing planned and associated new construction efforts to meet projected capacity requirements, as identified in its monthly status of construction reports to the Committees. BOP is directed to continue to provide such reports monthly, along with notifications and explanations of any deviation from construction and activation schedules, and any planned adjustments or corrective actions. Modernization and Repair (M&R) of Existing Facilities.- BOP is expected to apply the funding to reduce its longstanding M&R backlog and is directed to prioritize funding for repairs that protect life and safety. BOP shall continue to provide monthly status of construction reports and notify the Committees of any changes reflected in those reports. House language regarding facilities with geological or seismological deficiencies is not adopted. 81 LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES. FEDERAL PRISON INDUSTRIES. INCORPORATED The agreement includes a limitation on administrative expenses of $2,700,000 for Federal Prison Industries, Incorporated”

My comment- UNICOR is a cesspool of waste and corruption.