Reentry Resource Guide Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7309 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7309

 To establish a pilot program to develop, expand, and maintain digital 
community resource guides to advance the reentry efforts of individuals 
          returning to their communities after incarceration.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 2, 2026

 Mr. Cleaver introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a pilot program to develop, expand, and maintain digital 
community resource guides to advance the reentry efforts of individuals 
          returning to their communities after incarceration.

    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 ``Reentry Resource Guide Act of 
2026''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Attorney General shall establish a pilot program to make grants to 
eligible applicants to develop, expand, and maintain digital community 
resource guides of statewide resources to advance the reentry efforts 
of individuals returning to their communities after incarceration. Such 
guides shall--
            (1) be a comprehensive list detailing names and contact 
        information for statewide resources;
            (2) be sortable by regions within the State for easier 
        accessibility;
            (3) be available for download; and
            (4) be appropriate, relevant, and available, with special 
        considerations for--
                    (A) employment services;
                    (B) housing services;
                    (C) local crisis lines;
                    (D) outreach agencies;
                    (E) local shelters;
                    (F) shower and restrooms;
                    (G) clothing and storage;
                    (H) cooling and warming stations for extreme 
                temperature or weather conditions;
                    (I) food pantries;
                    (J) hot meals;
                    (K) identification assistance services;
                    (L) transportation services;
                    (M) relocation services;
                    (N) legal services;
                    (O) education services;
                    (P) government services;
                    (Q) addiction counseling and treatment for 
                gambling;
                    (R) addiction counseling and treatment for 
                substance abuse services;
                    (S) harm reduction services;
                    (T) mental and health services and referrals;
                    (U) medical and dental services;
                    (V) domestic violence shelters;
                    (W) services for living with HIV or AIDS;
                    (X) disability services;
                    (Y) seniors services;
                    (Z) family services;
                    (AA) veteran services;
                    (BB) youth and young people services;
                    (CC) government services; and
                    (DD) information and referral services.

SEC. 3. APPLICATION; GRANT TERM.

    (a) Application.--A State may apply for a grant under this section 
by submitting an application including--
            (1) a strategy for identifying community resources;
            (2) identification of relevant statewide resources, their 
        physical locations, and contact information;
            (3) identification of the entity or personnel responsible 
        for the creation and management of the guide;
            (4) identification of where the guide will be accessible; 
        and
            (5) a plan for promotion of awareness of the resource 
        guides within the prison and returning population.
    (b) Grant Term.--A grant under this section shall be for a term of 
3 years.

SEC. 4. USE OF FUNDS.

    Amounts provided as grants under this Act may be used for--
            (1) project planning and community engagement;
            (2) project implementation;
            (3) operational costs including costs of startup or 
        expansion of the existing system, outreach, and language 
        translation;
            (4) employee salary associated with the guide's expansion, 
        creation, and maintenance; and
            (5) maintenance of the digital site the guide is listed.

SEC. 5. REPORTING.

    (a) Grantees.--Each grantee shall submit an annual report to AG 
that details specific uses of the grant funds, and the outcome of the 
program.
    (b) Attorney General.--After the termination of the pilot program, 
the Attorney General shall submit to Congress a report including an 
evaluation detailing the implementation of, outcome of, and impact of 
the program on reduction of recidivism and overall successful reentry.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2030.
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