This bill requires the federal Bureau of Prisons to submit annual reports to Congress documenting damage from major disasters—whether presidentially declared or determined by the bureau itself—that affect prisons or disrupt critical services. Each report must detail the physical damage, injuries, deaths, and impacts on inmates and staff, including access to medical care, food, water, visitation rights, and accommodations for people with disabilities, along with data on early release or home confinement decisions made during the emergency. The bureau must also propose corrective actions and legislative recommendations to improve emergency preparedness within 90 days of the law's enactment and designate an official to oversee implementation. Additionally, the bill expands the National Institute of Corrections' governing board from ten to fourteen members to include people with lived experience in incarceration, emergency management expertise, public health background in communicable diseases, and labor union representation, and requires the institute to hold at least one public hearing within a year on how prisons can better prepare for and respond to disasters while protecting inmate welfare and rights.
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