{"id":19540,"date":"2023-07-13T14:20:55","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T18:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/?post_type=press-releases&p=19540"},"modified":"2023-07-13T14:20:56","modified_gmt":"2023-07-13T18:20:56","slug":"sens-ossoff-mcconnell-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-increase-oversight-of-federal-prisons","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/sens-ossoff-mcconnell-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-increase-oversight-of-federal-prisons\/","title":{"rendered":"Sens. Ossoff, McConnell Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Increase Oversight of Federal Prisons"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sen. Ossoff has led <\/em>multiple bipartisan investigations<\/em><\/a> of corruption, abuse, and misconduct within the Federal prison system<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Sen. Ossoff passed into law <\/em>bipartisan legislation<\/em><\/a> to strengthen security at Federal prisons<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April, Sen. Ossoff <\/em>introduced bipartisan legislation<\/em><\/a> to overhaul oversight of Federal prison system<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington, D.C. <\/strong>\u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working across the aisle to increase Federal oversight and accountability of the Federal prison system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Sen. Ossoff and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced the bipartisan Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2023<\/em>, which would make the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director a U.S. Senate-confirmed position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sens. Ossoff and McConnell joined with Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Mike Braun (R-IN) to introduce the bipartisan bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, the BOP Director is appointed by U.S. Attorney General and not subject to Senate confirmation, despite having significant authority over taxpayer dollars and over 30,000 Federal employees. The bipartisan bill would make the BOP Director a Senate-confirmed position for a single 10-year term, following a nomination from the President of the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast Congress, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations revealed the depth of chaos and dysfunction that has undermined security and civil rights in the Bureau of Prisons for over a decade. I\u2019m pleased to partner with Sen. McConnell on this bipartisan bill that asserts the Senate\u2019s authority to confirm nominees for BOP\u2019s leadership and hold them to the highest standards,\u201d Sen. Ossoff said.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Sen. Ossoff led multiple bipartisan investigations<\/a> of corruption, abuse, and misconduct within the Federal prison system. His bipartisan investigations uncovered a lack of oversight, leading to long-term failures that likely undermined public safety and civil rights; contributed to loss of life; and jeopardized the health and safety of incarcerated people and staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff also passed into law his bipartisan Prison Camera Reform Act<\/em><\/a> to reduce violence and civil rights abuses in America\u2019s prisons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year, Sens. Ossoff, Braun, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced the bipartisan Federal Prison Oversight Act<\/em><\/a> <\/em>to establish new, independent oversight of the BOP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Senate plays a vital role in staffing the federal government, evaluating the qualifications of more than a thousand presidential nominees to ensure transparency and accountability. The Director of the Bureau of Prisons oversees more than 34,000 employees and a multi-billion dollar budget, and should be subject to Senate review and confirmation as well,\u201d said Sen. McConnell. <\/strong>\u201cOur bipartisan bill would extend the Senate\u2019s advice and consent role to the Bureau of Prisons Director and expand supervision over this federal agency. The thousands of Americans \u2013 and hundreds of Kentuckians \u2013 employed by the Bureau of Prisons deserve Senate oversight and an added layer of protection from harm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo agency as large as the Bureau of Prisons should have so little accountability. Our bill ensures the concerns of those who work in prisons are heard and acted upon and will provide much needed Senate oversight of a taxpayer funded system,\u201d said Dr. Paul.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy requiring Senate confirmation of the Bureau of Prisons Director and establishing a single, 10-year term, the Federal Prisons Accountability Act underscores the reverence with which we approach one of the most consequential actions the government can take\u2014imprisonment. This bipartisan bill reflects our commitment to ensuring that this crucial position remains accountable to the American people. As lawmakers, it is our constitutional duty to provide advice and consent, and this bill fortifies the pillars of transparency and oversight within our federal prison system,\u201d said Sen. Lee.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Director of the Bureau of Prisons leads thousands of employees and expends a massive budget. It\u2019s a big job with even bigger consequences should mismanagement or abuse weasel its way into the system. Making the BOP Director a Senate-confirmed position would bring badly needed transparency and accountability to the federal prison system,\u201d said Sen. Grassley.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Bureau of Prisons has one of the largest budgets within the Department of Justice, yet its leaders are appointed without congressional input,\u201d said Sen. Cornyn. <\/strong>\u201cBy requiring the Bureau of Prisons Director to be confirmed by the Senate, this bill would increase accountability in our federal prison system and ensure Bureau leaders are responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Bureau of Prisons is a critical agency in ensuring the safety of our communities. However, the current system of appointing the BOP Director without Senate confirmation has led to a lack of accountability and oversight. This bipartisan bill would ensure the BOP Director is held accountable to the Senate and the American people,\u201d said Sen. Rubio.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny government agency that has over 30,000 employees, manages a multi-billion dollar budget, and directly impacts thousands of lives should not be exempt from Senate oversight,\u201dsaid Sen. Blackburn.<\/strong> \u201cThis bipartisan bill extends the Senate\u2019s duty of advice and consent to the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, fostering greater transparency for employees and further protecting taxpayer dollars in the federal prison system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiven the size and multi-billion budget of the Bureau of Prisons, it would be consistent and responsible to require the BOP Director to receive Senate confirmation. This legislation would bring greater accountability to the BOP and to federal prisons across the country, including in Indiana,\u201d said Sen. Braun.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click aqu\u00ed<\/a> to read the bipartisan Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2023<\/em>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sen. Ossoff has led multiple bipartisan investigations of corruption, abuse, and misconduct within the Federal prison system Last year, Sen. Ossoff passed into law bipartisan legislation to strengthen security at Federal prisons In April, Sen. Ossoff introduced bipartisan legislation to overhaul oversight of Federal prison system Washington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working across the aisle to increase Federal oversight and accountability […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19540","press-releases","type-press-releases","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/19540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-releases"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/19540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19542,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/19540\/revisions\/19542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}