Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act
Signed into law Sep 16, 2026 · Crime and Law Enforcement
What this law does
- Requires the Justice Department to adopt national standards to prevent, reduce and punish sexual harassment and assault by inmates against federal prison staff.
- Requires the Bureau of Prisons to fully carry out the Justice Department Inspector General's recommendations on inmate sexual harassment and assault of staff.
Plain-language list by Voting On, based only on the official summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service and the bill's titles. Read the official summary.
How it became law
- IntroducedJan 29, 2025 · Senate
- 90 daysPassed SenateApr 29, 2025
- 489 daysPassed HouseAug 31, 2026
- 14 daysPresented to the PresidentSep 14, 2026
- 2 daysSigned into lawSep 16, 2026
Official summary
Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act
This act establishes requirements for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and component agencies to assess and respond to incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault by incarcerated individuals against Bureau of Prisons (BOP) staff.
Specifically, the act requires DOJ to adopt national standards for the prevention, reduction, and punishment of sexual harassment and sexual assault by incarcerated individuals against correctional officers or other employees of the BOP.
Additionally, the act requires the BOP to fully implement the recommendations of the DOJ Inspector General contained in the report titled Evaluation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Efforts to Address Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Committed by Inmates Toward Staff.
Summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (Public Law, Sep 16, 2026).
Who wrote it
Sponsor: Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
3 cosponsors: 2 Democrats, 1 Republicans. 1 signed on the day it was introduced, 2 joined later.
Show all cosponsors
| Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|
| Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA] | Jan 29, 2025 | Original cosponsor |
| Sen. Justice, James C. [R-WV] | Feb 19, 2025 | |
| Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ] | Feb 19, 2025 |
Recorded votes
| Date | Chamber | Vote | Yeas | Nays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2026 | House | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 376 - 8 (Roll no. 284). | 376 | 8 |
What was added
Amendments adopted (0)
No floor amendments were adopted. Any changes were made in committee or in a later version of the bill.
Sections in the final law that were not in the first version (Introduced in Senate) (0)
None. Every section heading in the final law was already in the first version (Introduced in Senate).
What was removed
Sections in the first version (Introduced in Senate) that did not make it into the law (0)
None. Every section heading from the first version (Introduced in Senate) remains in the law.
Compared by section heading between the Introduced in Senate text (Jan 29, 2025) and the Enrolled Bill text, both from GovInfo. Wording changes inside a section that kept its heading are not shown here; see the amendments and the text versions.
Proposed but not adopted
No amendments were voted down or withdrawn.
Full action history
Show all 23 official actions
| Sep 16, 2026 | Signed by President. |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Signed by President. |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Became Public Law No: 119-110. |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Became Public Law No: 119-110. |
| Sep 14, 2026 | Presented to President. |
| Sep 14, 2026 | Presented to President. |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 376 - 8 (Roll no. 284). (text: CR H5268-5269) |
| Aug 31, 2026 | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 376 - 8 (Roll no. 284). (text: CR H5268-5269) |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H5347) |
| Aug 31, 2026 | At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed. |
| Aug 31, 2026 | DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 307. |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5268-5270) |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Ms. Lee (FL) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. |
| May 5, 2025 | Held at the desk. |
| May 5, 2025 | Received in the House. |
| May 1, 2025 | Message on Senate action sent to the House. |
| Apr 29, 2025 | Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent. |
| Apr 29, 2025 | Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent. |
| Apr 29, 2025 | Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2643: 2; text: CR S2643) |
| Apr 29, 2025 | Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2643; text: CR S2643) |
| Jan 29, 2025 | Introduced in Senate |
| Jan 29, 2025 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. |
Sources: Congress.gov (bill record, sponsors, actions, amendments, CRS summary) and GovInfo (official text). Days are calendar days.