Eleanor Holmes Norton: “My amendment prohibits the Federal Bureau of Prisons from using Federal funds to carry out a law that requires…”

“My amendment prohibits the Federal Bureau of Prisons from using Federal funds to carry out a law that requires individuals in halfway houses or on home confinement to pay a subsistence fee. Currently, the subsistence fee for residents of halfway houses is 25 percent of income. This criminal justice reform amendment would improve reentry and reduce recidivism among the Nation's returning citizens. Out of prison and almost always without a job or ability to support themselves, returning citizens have no ability to pay counterproductive subsistence fees while in halfway houses or on home confinement any more than they could have paid for their subsistence while in prison. For the limited time individuals spend in halfway houses--up to 12 months--or on home confinement--up to 6 months--the subsistence fee requirement is a substantial burden on them and de minimis on the BOP, witness that the Congressional Budget Office concluded that this amendment would have no budgetary effect. If returning citizens are lucky enough to find work at all, it would almost certainly be in minimum wage jobs. So the loss of 25 percent of their paychecks to subsistence fees would be a significant hurdle to successful reentry--which is what we are after-- making it extremely difficult to pay rent, child support, or fines and fees associated with their conviction, such as restitution.…”