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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7247 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7247
To establish a program to make grants for the establishment of prison
libraries.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 27, 2026
Mr. Cleaver (for himself, Ms. Brown, Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Sewell, Ms.
Simon, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. David
Scott of Georgia, Mr. Case, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Fields, Ms.
Tlaib, Mr. Thanedar, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mrs. McIver, Mr.
Evans of Pennsylvania, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Ms. Crockett, Ms.
Johnson of Texas, Ms. DelBene, Ms. Randall, and Ms. Norton) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a program to make grants for the establishment of prison
libraries.
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 ``Prison Libraries Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Attorney General shall establish a program to make grants to eligible
applicants for the purpose of providing library services to
incarcerated individuals in order to advance reintegration efforts,
reduce recidivism, and increase educational opportunities.
SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.
An eligible grantee under this Act is any State or territory that
submits an application that includes the following:
(1) A comprehensive plan for how the grant will be used,
including project objectives, program design, and evaluation
process.
(2) Proof of the existence of a physical library at a
correctional facility or the intention of creating one.
(3) Data on the demographics of the population of the
facility sufficient to demonstrate a compelling need for
funding, including educational level of prison population,
rates of recidivism, socioeconomic breakdown of the prison
population or any other relevant data.
SEC. 4. USE OF FUNDS.
Grant amounts shall be used to provide library services to
incarcerated individuals as set forth in section 2, and may include
usage for any of the following:
(1) Education and job training.
(2) Acquisition of modern materials and equipment that
reflect the interests, identities, abilities, and languages of
the prison population.
(3) Expansion of the infrastructure of prison libraries to
be less restrictive, safety permitted, and more welcoming with
design and decor.
(4) Hiring of qualified librarians and staff to manage the
libraries, their resources, and services and serve as the
social coordinator for organized activities and events, and who
hold the following qualifications:
(A) Have practical library management experience.
(B) Demonstrated ability to catalogue, archive, and
maintain databases and E-resources.
(C) Demonstrated ability to organize weekly, bi-
weekly, and monthly events and activities.
(5) Literary training.
(6) Digital literacy training.
(7) Career readiness programming.
(8) Civic engagement programs.
(9) Restorative justice programs.
(10) Resident led programs.
(11) Health and wellness activities.
(12) Cultural exchange and appreciation programs, events,
and activities.
(13) Computer (including laptops) and internet access.
(14) Book discussion programs.
(15) Language services, including free English classes.
(16) Audiobooks and accessible reading materials for the
visually impaired and print disabled.
(17) eBooks.
(18) Management of book donation programs.
(19) Audio and visual materials or multimedia.
(20) Artistic programing such as painting, creative
writing, poetry slams, drama, or music.
(21) Financial literacy.
(22) Family literacy activities facilitated during in-
person visits.
(23) Resource fairs.
(24) Making reasonable efforts towards building a working
relationship with local public libraries, including--
(A) adoption of a standardized guideline for
library management;
(B) sharing of resources and materials through an
interlibrary loan arrangement; and
(C) implementation of coordinated organized events
and activities.
SEC. 5. PROHIBITED USES.
Grant amounts may not be used for the following:
(1) Purchasing food, clothes, shoes, or hygiene supplies.
(2) Payment of employee salary and benefits unassociated
with prison libraries.
(3) Physical and mental care for incarcerated individuals.
(4) Incarcerated individual transportation.
(5) Staff training unrelated to the library services.
(6) General administrative functions or operations of the
prison.
(7) Facility maintenance aside from the libraries.
(8) Other obligations imposed on the facility by law,
including establishment of maintenance of a law library.
(9) Any other use unrelated to library services, resources,
and management.
SEC. 6. PRIORITIZATION.
The Attorney General shall, in making grants under this Act, comply
with the following:
(1) The Attorney General shall prioritize making awards to
grantees that are the following:
(A) Applicants that follow local and or national
standards and guidelines for library management.
(B) Applicants that add or prioritize post-
secondary education curriculum to library programming.
(C) Applicants with plans for tangible, positive,
and measurable impact for their prison population,
including--
(i) plans for increasing literacy rates;
(ii) plans for increased secondary and
post-secondary enrollment and graduation rates;
(iii) plans for development of technical
and vocational skills;
(iv) plans for expanded access to
employment opportunities post-release; and
(v) any other factors that the Attorney
General determines appropriate.
(D) Applicants with plans for numerous initiatives
to maximize benefits and services for their prison
population.
(2) The Attorney General shall ensure geographic diversity
as between grantees with regard to the States and territories
and between urban and rural areas.
(3) The Attorney General shall establish a reporting system
to monitor progress, performance, and expenditures of grantees.
SEC. 7. TERM.
A grant under this Act shall be for term of one year, and may be
renewed annually for a period of not more than 6 years in total.
SEC. 8. REPORTING.
Grantees shall submit annual performance measures, including
library activity statistics and program outcomes, and expenditure
reports to systems established by the Attorney General under section
6(4).
SEC. 9. CONDITIONS.
(a) In General.--A grantee may not charge a fee to any incarcerated
individual for the following:
(1) Access to physical books.
(2) Access to eBook and audiobooks.
(3) Access to computers (including laptops) and the
internet within the library.
(4) Access to educational and artistic materials needed to
facilitate learning, training, and or activities, including
notebooks, pens, pencils, paints, and similar supplies.
(5) Printing services.
(6) Any other library services or resources.
(b) Availability for Educational Programming.--A grantee shall make
the library space available to post-secondary organizations and
personnel for educational programming.
SEC. 10. CONSULTATION.
The Attorney General shall consult with the Director of the
Institute of Museum and Library Services in implementing this Act.
SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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