H.R. 6441 · 114th Congress
Video Visitation in Prisons Act of 2016
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 114th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
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DuckworthSponsorNo cosponsors.
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate regulations for video visitation services that allow inmates to make video calls to individuals outside a correctional facility, and amend its regulations on inmate calling services as necessary, to ensure that all charges and practices are just and reasonable.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Dec 6, 2016
Video Visitation in Prisons Act of 2016
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate regulations for video visitation services that allow inmates to make video calls to individuals outside a correctional facility, and amend its regulations on inmate calling services as necessary, to ensure that all charges and practices are just and reasonable.
The regulations must include:
- caps on rates charged by service providers,
- a prohibition against charging flat rates,
- a prohibition against a provider requiring a correctional facility to restrict in-person visitation as a condition to providing a calling or video visitation service,
- a prohibition against the provider offering bundled services that include non-communications services, and
- video quality standards.
The federal criminal code is amended to require the Bureau of Prisons to ensure that:
- video visitation does not supplant in-person visitation;
- privacy is maximized in the video areas and equipment;
- no persons other than corrections officers have authority over the terms of a prisoner's imprisonment, including visitation schedules or the ability to move within a correctional facility; and
- service providers provide a list of each video visitation and each fee charged to visitors and prisoners, offer free visits based on good behavior if authorized by the correctional facility, and submit quarterly compliance reports.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Video Visitation in Prisons Act of 2016
Latest action (Dec 22, 2016): Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications · Origin: House · Introduced: Dec 6, 2016
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.