FIRST STEP Act
Latest action. Received in the Senate.
Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act or the FIRST STEP Act
TITLE I--RECIDIVISM REDUCTION
(Sec. 101) This bill amends the federal criminal code to direct the Department of Justice to establish a risk and needs assessment system to assess and classify the recidivism risk of prisoners; to guide housing, grouping, and program assignments; and to incentivize and reward participation in and completion of recidivism reduction programs and productive activities.
(Sec. 102) The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) must implement the risk and needs assessment system.
The bill modifies the computation of good time credit to allow a prisoner to earn a maximum of 54 days per year of the sentence imposed (instead of 54 days per year of the sentence actually served).
(Sec. 103) The Government Accountability Office must audit the use of the risk and needs assessment system at BOP facilities.
(Sec. 104) The bill authorizes funds for FY2019-FY2023 to carry out this title. Of the amount appropriated, 80% is reserved for use by the BOP to implement the risk and needs assessment system.
(Sec. 105) The bill states that it does not authorize prerelease custody for an individual serving a prison term for a state offense.
(Sec. 106) It prohibits discrimination against a program, treatment, regimen, group, company, charity, person, or entity based on the fact that it may be or is faith-based.
TITLE II--BUREAU OF PRISONS SECURE FIREARMS STORAGE
Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Correctional Officer Self-Protection Act of 2018
(Sec. 202) The bill amends the federal criminal code to require the BOP to allow federal correctional officers to securely store and carry concealed firearms on BOP premises outside the security perimeter of a prison.
TITLE III--RESTRAINTS ON PREGNANT PRISONERS PROHIBITED
(Sec. 301) The bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit, subject to specified conditions, the use of restraints on federal prisoners who are pregnant or in postpartum recovery.
TITLE IV--MISCELLANEOUS CRIMINAL JUSTICE
(Sec. 401) The bill amends the federal criminal code:
The summary continues for 15 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on May 22, 2018. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Received in the Senate.
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Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
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The record's latest action, on May 23, 2018: Received in the Senate.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one has no outstanding steps listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Doug Collins (R-GA) introduced it on May 7, 2018, and 19 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 9 Democrats, 10 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 7, 2018, 3048 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3032 days ago, on May 23, 2018.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseReceived in the Senate.
- SenateNot stated in the latest action
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action