“To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for free public transportation for individuals who are recently released from incarceration.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings that access to free public transportation increases reliable transportation options for individuals recently released from prison, which promotes successful community reintegration, reduces recidivism, improves access to community services, and aids compliance with release plans and parole requirements.
This section establishes a public transportation reentry service program under new section 5341 of title 49, United States Code. It requires recipients of urbanized area formula grants under section 5307 and rural area formula grants under section 5311 to provide one year of free public transportation to returning individuals (i.e., those released after at least one year of incarceration in federal or state prison), including enrollment systems, staff training, data collection, and compliance tracking. The section authorizes $40,000,000 annually from the Mass Transit Account for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to reimburse direct and indirect costs, treats such costs as eligible capital projects, mandates annual recipient and Federal Transit Administration reports, and directs the Comptroller General to submit an implementation and recidivism impact report to Congress within five years.