Sponsor
Emanuel Cleaver
Representative · D-MO
Representative · D-MO
Official title: 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.
Introduced February 2, 2026 by Emanuel Cleaver · Last progress February 2, 2026
The bill funds and structures pilot grants and centralized resource guides that can substantially improve reentry access to housing, jobs, and treatment, but its benefits depend on sustained appropriations, fair grant competition, good data/privacy practices, and manageable administrative burdens to avoid leaving gaps or diverting funds from direct services.
People returning from incarceration (and people in prison preparing for release) gain clearer, centralized access to statewide and local resource guides listing housing, jobs, treatment, and reentry services, improving their ability to connect with supports on release.
States, localities, and community organizations receive federal grant funding (including up to $8M/year authorized) and multi-year (3-year) award terms that enable start-up and planning of reentry resource infrastructure and pilot projects.
Job-seekers with criminal records get prioritized, more accessible information about employment services and local supports, increasing chances of workforce reentry.
Many communities and people may lose service access if initial grant funding ends or appropriations never follow the authorization: ongoing maintenance and updates to guides create recurring costs, and the bill authorizes funds without guaranteeing appropriations or specifying administering agencies.
Smaller, rural, or under-resourced states and community organizations may be disadvantaged by competitive application requirements and by federal grants favoring applicants with greater administrative capacity, leaving gaps where need is greatest.
Administrative and reporting requirements (application preparation, data collection, annual reports) will divert staff time and funds from direct services and could delay program delivery if compliance is tied to payments or reviews.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a DOJ pilot grant program to fund statewide digital reentry resource guides and authorizes $8M/year for FY2027–2030.
Creates a Department of Justice pilot grant program to fund states in building, expanding, and maintaining statewide digital community resource guides for people returning from incarceration. The guides must list comprehensive, region-sortable contact information for services (housing, employment, health, legal help, crisis services, ID assistance, transportation, and more); grants run for three years and are authorized at $8 million per year for FY2027–2030. Grantees must apply with a plan for identifying resources, maintaining the guide, making it accessible inside prisons and to the returning population, and promoting awareness; annual reports from grantees and a final DOJ evaluation to Congress are required.