{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2026/8/blackburn-bipartisan-bill-to-prevent-sexual-abuse-of-prison-staff-heads-to-president-trump-s-desk", "Blackburn Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Prison Staff Heads to President Trump\u2019s Desk", "2026-08-31", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "Senate", "TN", "Marsha Blackburn", "B001243", "www.blackburn.senate.gov", "blackburn", "https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/news/cc8c80c1-d564-4bbb-93a4-f1d772346ae0", "scraper", "NASHVILLE, Tenn. \u2013 U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed her bipartisan legislation, the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act, to help address the increasingly pervasive sexual assault and harassment of Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) employees by inmates:\n\n\u201cNo law enforcement officer should have to fear for their safety when they show up to work,\u201d said Senator Blackburn. \u201cI am pleased the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act\u2014which will help us end the appalling sexual abuse of prison staff by inmates\u2014has passed the House and is heading to President Trump\u2019s desk to be signed into law.\u201d\n\nThis legislation is also co-sponsored by Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.). Representative Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nAccording to a February 2023 report by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG), a staggering 40% of 7,000 surveyed BOP staff stated they had been sexually harassed or sexually assaulted by an inmate.\n\nAt United States Penitentiary Thomson in Illinois, there were over 300 incidents of inmate-on-staff sexual harassment in a single year. USP Thomson houses only 875 inmates.\n\nThe DOJ OIG report, combined with BOP staff testimonials on this troubling problem, strongly suggests that BOP\u2019s reporting and corrective procedures for inmate-on-staff sexual assault and harassment are inadequate, creating an institutional culture that lacks accountability and endangers BOP employees.\n\nTHE PRISON STAFF SAFETY ENHANCEMENT ACT\n\nThe Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act will require:\n\nThe BOP to fully implement the recommendations in the Inspector General\u2019s 2023 report regarding mitigating inmate-on-staff sexual harassment and assault and to fully ascertain the scope of the problem;\n\nThe DOJ OIG to conduct an analysis of punishments for sexual harassment and sexual assault in BOP facilities; and\n\nThe U.S. Attorney General to promulgate a rule adopting national standards for prevention, reduction, and punishment of sexual assault and harassment of BOP staff by inmates.\n\nClick here for bill text.\n\nENDORSEMENTS\n\nThis legislation is endorsed by the American Correctional Association,the Fraternal Order of Police, and the National Council of Prison Locals 33.\n\nRELATABLE\n\nBlackburn, Ossoff Introduce Bill to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Prison Staff", 1, "2026-09-02T09:19:58Z", "2026-09-02T09:20:51Z"]], "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://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2026/8/blackburn-bipartisan-bill-to-prevent-sexual-abuse-of-prison-staff-heads-to-president-trump-s-desk"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6806919593364, "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"}