{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mcbath.house.gov/press-releases?ID=481FD546-0EC2-4CF6-89DF-A3796C69E38E", "McBath Prison Oversight Bill Heads to President Biden for Signature After U.S. Senate Passage", "2024-07-10", "2024", "2024-07", "Democrat", "House", "GA", "Lucy McBath", "M001208", "mcbath.house.gov", "mcbath", "https://mcbath.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, DC \u2014 The Federal Prison Oversight Act is one step closer to becoming law. The U.S. Senate unanimously agreed to H.R. 3019, legislation to establish new, independent oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Representatives Lucy McBath (D-GA-07) and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND-AL) led the Federal Prison Oversight Act in the House. Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, led the companion bill in the Senate. The legislation now heads to President Biden\u2019s desk for signature into law.\n\nClick below to watch McBath\u2019s remarks on the Federal Prison Oversight Act:\n\nPictured above: McBath speaks on the House floor about the Federal Prison Oversight Act\n\n\u201cMy 17-year-old son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed 12 years ago by a man who is now serving a life sentence in prison. Through my family\u2019s pain, I found the strength to forgive my son\u2019s killer,\u201d Rep. McBath said. \u201cThe passage of my Federal Prison Oversight legislation in the Senate marks a new step forward in ensuring accountability to protect staff and incarcerated individuals in our federal prisons. I thank Senator Ossoff and Congressman Armstrong for their collaboration on this important bill. When Republicans and Democrats come together, we can deliver common-sense solutions for the American people.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Federal Prison Oversight Act moves our prison system into the 21st century, works across agencies, creates accountability structures, and requires risk assessments for our prisons,\u201d said Rep. Armstrong. \u201cI am proud that Congress came together to improve the safety, dignity, and cost-effectiveness of our judicial system.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur bipartisan Federal Prison Oversight Act has passed the Senate. This is a major milestone. My bipartisan Senate investigations of corruption, abuse, and misconduct in the Federal prison system have revealed an urgent need to overhaul Federal prison oversight,\u201d Sen. Ossoff said. \u201cI now look forward to President Biden signing our bipartisan bill into law.\u201d\n\n\u201cMore transparency and accountability will create a safer environment for correctional officers and staff who work in our federal prisons as well as the inmates incarcerated in them. This bill does not allow the Department of Justice to intervene into the affairs of state and local jails, and will help to improve working conditions and keep our federal corrections officers safe,\u201d said Braun.\n\n\u201cRestoring integrity to the Bureau of Prisons and addressing mismanagement in correctional facilities is a top priority of the Senate Judiciary Committee. This bipartisan bill would improve prison oversight and ensure the Bureau is fulfilling its duty to provide safe and humane conditions of confinement to prepare incarcerated individuals for a successful return to society. I\u2019m glad the Senate passed our bill and look forward to President Biden signing it into law,\u201d said U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.\n\nThe bipartisan bill requires the Department of Justice\u2019s Inspector General to conduct comprehensive, risk-based inspections of the BOP\u2019s 122 correctional facilities, provide recommendations to fix problems, and assign each facility a risk score, with higher-risk facilities required to be inspected more often. The IG must also report its findings and recommendations to Congress and the public, and the BOP must respond to all inspection reports within 60 days with a corrective action plan.\n\nThe bipartisan bill will also establish an independent Ombudsman to investigate the health, safety, welfare, and rights of incarcerated people and staff. The Ombudsman would create a secure hotline and online form for family members, friends, and representatives of incarcerated people to submit complaints and inquiries.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:24:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mcbath.house.gov/press-releases?ID=481FD546-0EC2-4CF6-89DF-A3796C69E38E"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5034177340567112, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}