To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for free public transportation for individuals who are recently released from incarceration.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9898 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9898

   To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for free public
     transportation for individuals who are recently released from
                             incarceration.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2026

     Mr. Cleaver (for himself, Mr. Bell, Mr. Carson, Mr. Carter of
   Louisiana, Ms. Chu, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Mrs.
Foushee, Mr. Frost, Mr. Garcia of California, Mr. Ivey, Mr. Jackson of
  Illinois, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms.
 Tlaib, Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Ms. Wilson of Florida) introduced the
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

   To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for free public
     transportation for individuals who are recently released from
                             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 ``Transportation for Reentry Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Access to free public transportation services increases
        the access that an individual recently released from prison has
        to a reliable mode of transportation.
            (2) Access to a reliable mode of transportation--
                    (A) promotes the successful reintegration of a
                returning individual into the community;
                    (B) reduces the likelihood of recidivism;
                    (C) increases the ability of a returning individual
                to access community services; and
                    (D) helps a returning individual to follow up on
                referrals from their release plans and to meet initial
                parole requirements (if applicable).

SEC. 3. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION REENTRY SERVICE.

    (a) Public Transportation Reentry Service.--Chapter 53 of title 49,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 5341. Public transportation reentry service
    ``(a) In General.--
            ``(1) Reentry service.--To be eligible for financial
        assistance under section 5307 or 5311, a covered recipient
        shall carry out a reentry service program to provide free
        public transportation to returning individuals.
            ``(2) Duration.--A covered recipient shall provide the
        reentry service described in paragraph (1) to a returning
        individual for a 1-year period beginning on the release date of
        the returning individual.
    ``(b) Requirements.--In carrying out this section, a covered
recipient shall--
            ``(1) create a system for returning individuals to enroll
        in the reentry service under this section;
            ``(2) instruct transportation staff on the operation of the
        reentry service;
            ``(3) collect data on the number of returning individuals
        who use the reentry service and the frequency of use; and
            ``(4) develop a system to ensure compliance with the 1-year
        period described in section (a)(2).
    ``(c) Reimbursement.--
            ``(1) Direct costs.--The Secretary may reimburse a covered
        recipient for the cost of providing to returning individuals
        the reentry service under this section.
            ``(2) Indirect costs.--The reimbursement that a covered
        recipient receives may include the costs incurred from the
        following:
                    ``(A) Development of the reentry service.
                    ``(B) Implementation of the reentry service.
                    ``(C) Operational costs of the reentry service.
                    ``(D) Engagement with technical assistance
                providers.
                    ``(E) Training on the implementation of the reentry
                service.
                    ``(F) Outreach to prisons and to the returning
                individual populations.
                    ``(G) Other uses integral to the successful
                implementation of the reentry service.
    ``(d) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall issue regulations
necessary to carry out this section, including regulations that--
            ``(1) promote the coordination of providing technical
        assistance to a covered recipient;
            ``(2) promote the marketing of the reentry service to
        ensure that incarcerated and returning individual populations
        are aware of the reentry service; and
            ``(3) clarify the treatment of a returning individual who
        resides in different locations, including in different States,
        during the 1-year period described in subsection (a)(2).
    ``(e) Reporting.--
            ``(1) Covered recipient.--For each year in which a covered
        recipient receives funds under this section, such recipient
        shall submit to the National Transit Database an annual report
        that details the following:
                    ``(A) The number of returning individuals who used
                the reentry service.
                    ``(B) The number of trips taken.
                    ``(C) An estimate of revenue forgone.
                    ``(D) Any other information that the Secretary
                determines appropriate.
            ``(2) Federal transit administration.--For each such year,
        the Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration shall
        summarize the data reported under paragraph (1) and submit to
        Congress a report on such data.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Returning individual.--The term `returning
        individual' means an individual who has been incarcerated for a
        period of not less than 1 year in Federal or State prison.
            ``(2) Covered recipient.--The term `covered recipient'
        means a recipient of financial assistance under section 5307 or
        5311.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 53 of title 49,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

``5341. Public transportation reentry service.''.
    (c) Authorizations.--Section 5338 of title 49, United States Code,
is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
    ``(e) Public Transportation Reentry Service.--There shall be
available from the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund to
carry out section 5341 $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027
through 2031.''.
    (d) Eligibility as Capital Project.--Section 5302(4) of title 49,
United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (M) by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (N) by striking the period and
        inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(O) operating, planning, and outreach costs
                described in section 5341.''.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to
Congress a report on implementation of section 5341 of title 49, United
States Code, (as added by this section) that includes--
            (1) details of the implementation and outcome of the
        program under such section; and
            (2) the impact that providing returning individuals with
        access to the reentry service under such section has had on
        recidivism rates of participating returning individuals and on
        the reentry of such individuals into the community.
    (f) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Urbanized area formula grant.--Section 5307(c)(1) of
        title 49, United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (K), by striking ``and'' at the
                end; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new
                subparagraph:
                    ``(M) will comply with section 5341; and''.
            (2) Formula grants for rural areas.--Section 5311 of title
        49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
        following new subsection:
    ``(k) Grant Recipient Requirement.--A recipient may receive a grant
in a fiscal year only if the recipient certifies to the Secretary that
such recipient will comply with section 5341.''.
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