,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bhgi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #aj1 #bjbe,mr4 ,obernolte 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,chu1 ,mr4 ,carbajal1 and ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,director of the ,bureau of ,prisons to conduct a comprehensive review of understaffing across the ,bureau1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,prison ,staffing ,reform ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,bureau of ,prisons has #aba institutions located throughout the ,united ,states and employs nearly #ce1jjj employees4 ,understaffing across the agency jeopardizes the health1 safety1 and well-being of staff and inmates alike4 7#b7 ,understaffing at ,bureau of ,prison institutions poses a threat to inmates1 who will consequently lack access to lifesaving medical care1 efficient review of their casework1 sanitary living conditions1 access to vital recidivism reduction programming1 and protections against abuse or sexual misconduct4 7#c7 ,understaffing at ,bureau of ,prison institutions will also result in reduced staff safety1 escalated workplace abuse1 stressful work conditions1 enhanced mental and physical health concerns1 and unacceptably long work shifts for employees4 7#d7 ,mandated overtime1 misuse of augmentation or reassignment1 and overworked employees will reduce prison security and threaten public safety4 #c4 ,comprehensive review of understaffing across ,bureau of ,prisons 7a7 ,review ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of the ,bureau of ,prisons shall-- 7#a7 complete a thorough external review1 in accordance with subsection 7b71 of staffing across the ,bureau of ,prisons1 as well as the impact of any understaffing on employees1 individuals in the custody of the ,bureau of ,prisons1 and overall agency spending2 and 7#b7 submit to the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate1 and the ,council of ,prison ,locals ,c-#cc within the ,american ,federation of ,government ,employees ,organization-- 7,a7 a plan for recruiting job applicants1 filling vacancies1 reducing mandated overtime and misuse of augmentation1 and strengthening staffing across the ,bureau of ,prisons2 and 7,b7 a guideline for staffing requirements including-- 7i7 the number of correctional officers needed per individual in the custody of the ,bureau of ,prisons for each housing unit1 building1 or location where individuals in the custody of the ,bureau of ,prisons are located2 and 7ii7 the number of employees1 including teachers1 counselors1 case managers1 and medical staff1 needed per individual in the custody of the ,bureau of ,prisons for non-correctional departments1 disaggregated by the three primary shifts1 security levels1 and any special mission within the ,bureau of ,prisons4 7b7 ,requirements of review ,the external review completed under subsection 7a77#a7 shall be conducted by a non-,bureau of ,prisons organization1 in consultation with-- 7#a7 the ,council of ,prison ,locals ,c-#cc within the ,american ,federation of ,government ,employees ,organization2 7#b7 civil rights organizations2 and 7#c7 organizations focused on reducing recidivism through educational1 mental health1 and substance use disorder programming4 7c7 ,contents ,the review required under subsection 7a7 shall-- 7#a7 identify and address the effects of understaffing on-- 7,a7 the length of time during which individuals in the custody of the ,bureau of ,prisons are placed on waiting lists to receive care or programming2 7,b7 the availability of medical care for individuals in the custody of the ,bureau of ,prisons1 including substance use disorder treatment programs1 mental health programs1 and maternal health programs2 7,c7 the processing of an individuals' in the custody of the ,bureau of ,prisons application for compassionate release1 home confinement1 and time credits established under title ,i of the ,first ,step ,act of #bjah 7#ah ,u4,s4,c4 #cfca et seq472 7,d7 the availability of teachers1 therapists1 and other support staff for evidence-based recidivism reduction programs and productive activities 7as such terms are defined in section #cfce of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code72 7,e7 adequate protections for staff and individuals in the custody of the ,bureau of ,prisons against violence1 neglect1 and sexual misconduct2 7,f7 the availability of sanitary and efficient food services2 7,g7 prison security1 including the detection of contraband2 7,h7 the efficient installation of security cameras and plans to remedy deficits in security camera systems2 7,i7 the conversion of existing analog radio systems to digital radios equipped with the man-down feature2 7,j7 stressful work environments1 mandated overtime1 augmentation1 and other workplace conditions that may jeopardize employees' mental and physical health2 and 7,k7 additional costs incurred by the ,bureau of ,prisons1 including costs associated with augmentation and overtime2 7#b7 include an independent review1 conducted by the ,national ,academy of ,medicine1 a nonprofit organization1 or other type of organization determined by the ,director to be capable of conducting such review1 of the adequacy and quality of medical care available to individuals in the custody of the ,bureau of ,prisons2 7#c7 include a comparison of the various methodologies used by the ,bureau of ,prisons to assess staffing levels1 as well as any possible misalignments and inconsistencies in terminology between these methodologies2 and 7#d7 include a #c-year strategic plan and cost projection for filling existing vacancies and maintaining staffing across the ,bureau of ,prisons4 7d7 ,implementation deadline ,not later than #c years after the date on which the plan is submitted under subsection 7a77#b71 and subject to appropriations1 the ,director of the ,bureau of ,prisons shall complete implementation of the submitted plan4 7e7 ,annual progress reports ,beginning #a year after the date on which the plan is submitted under subsection 7a77#b71 and each year thereafter until the end of the #c-year period described in subsection 7c71 the ,director of the ,bureau of ,prisons shall submit to the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate1 and the ,council of ,prison ,locals ,c-#cc within the ,american ,federation of ,government ,employees ,organization a report on the progress of the implementation of the plan submitted under subsection 7a77#b74