U.S. Congress legislation · 119th Congress
SB5482: PREP Act
Status: In committee, September 23, 2026
A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to establish an Office of Prison Education, and for other purposes.
What the bill says
To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish an Office of Prison Education, and for other purposes.
From the introduced text, September 23, 2026:
A BILL To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish an Office of Prison Education, and for other purposes. SECTION 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Promoting Reentry through Education in Prisons Act of 2026 or the PREP Act . SECTION 2. Findings; purpose (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Over the course of an 8-year-period following the release of individuals from Federal prisons, the United States Sentencing Commission found that 49.3 percent of such individuals were rearrested, 31.7 percent were reconvicted, and 24.6 percent were reincarcerated. (2) The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that, over a similar time period as described in paragraph (1), percent of people released from State prisons were rearrested. (3) A broad spectrum of prison education programming can prepare individuals for the contemporary workforce pre-release, ensuring that upon release the individuals are best situated to be productive members of their communities. (4) Education for people in prisons has a clear public safety benefit, reducing recidivism rates by over 43 percent. (5) Employment is 13 percent higher for individuals who participated in either academic or vocational programs in prison, and 28 percent higher for individuals who participated in vocational programs alone. (6) During the first 3 years after an individual is released, each dollar spent on funding prison education programs …
Sponsors
- Schatz, Brian (D) · primary sponsor
- Blumenthal, Richard (D)
- Booker, Cory (D)
- Durbin, Richard (D)
- Fetterman, John (D)
- King, Angus (I)
- Klobuchar, Amy (D)
- Merkley, Jeff (D, SD-OR)
- Padilla, Alex (D, SD-CA)
- Schiff, Adam B. (D)
- Smith, Tina (D)
- Van Hollen, Chris (D)
Latest actions
- : Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- : Introduced in Senate
Subjects: Crime and Law Enforcement
Common questions
- What is SB5482?
- SB5482 is a bill in Congress (119th Congress): PREP Act.
- What does SB5482 do?
- In its own words: To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish an Office of Prison Education, and for other purposes.
- What is the status of SB5482?
- In committee as of September 23, 2026. Latest action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (September 23, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB5482?
- Schatz, Brian (D), with 11 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SB5482?
- On the Congress website: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5482
Source: official Congress record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.