Federal Bureau of Prisons Medical Care Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 9525
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-29: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-09T22:52:39Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
This bill amends federal law to restrict the charging of fees for health care services provided to prisoners in federal custody. It is titled the Federal Bureau of Prisons Medical Care Act of 2026.
Key Provisions
- Limited fee assessment: The Director of the Bureau of Prisons may only collect a fee for a health care visit if it results from an injury caused by one prisoner to another. The fee is taken from the account of the prisoner who caused the injury.
- Removal of broader authority: The bill eliminates the previous general ability to charge fees for health care visits.
- Elimination of certain rules: It removes a subsection that likely outlined additional fee-related procedures and updates another section to no longer reference exclusions from fees.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- The law previously allowed the Bureau of Prisons to assess fees for prisoner health care in a wider range of situations. This bill narrows that to only injury-related cases involving another prisoner.
- It strikes an entire subsection (subsection (c)) that addressed fee collection details.
- It removes language in subsection (e) regarding whether a prisoner qualifies for an exclusion from fees.
Potential Impacts
- On government agencies: The Bureau of Prisons would have reduced authority to collect health care fees, potentially affecting revenue collection and administrative processes for medical visits.
- On citizens: Federal prisoners would face fewer instances of fees for health care, though fees could still apply in cases of prisoner-on-prisoner injury.
- On international relations: No direct effects are outlined in the bill.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- The Federal Bureau of Prisons and its staff responsible for health care and fee collection.
- Individuals held in federal prisons who receive medical services.
- Prisoners who cause injuries to others, as they would be responsible for any assessed fees.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- The changes focus on limiting fee authority under title 18 of the U.S. Code, which governs crimes and criminal procedure.
- No specific constitutional issues, such as rights to health care, are addressed in the bill text itself.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-29: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2026-06-29: Introduced in House
- 2026-06-29: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E633-634)
- 2026-06-29: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Medical Care Act of 2026 — issued 2026-06-29 — PDF (2 pages)