U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, are teaming up on a bipartisan bill to boost oversight and accountability of the federal prison system.
Ossoff and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, are lead sponsors of the Federal Prisons Accountability Act, which would make the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons a Senate-confirmed position. The U.S. Attorney General now appoints the position, which has significant authority over taxpayer dollars and more than 30,000 federal employees.
The legislation would limit the director to a single 10-year term following approval of a presidential nomination. Ossoff has led multiple bipartisan investigations of corruption, abuse and misconduct within the federal prison system.
“Last Congress, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations revealed the depth of chaos and dysfunction that has undermined security and civil rights in the Bureau of Prisons for over a decade,” Ossoff said in a news release. “I’m pleased to partner with Sen. McConnell on this bipartisan bill that asserts the Senate’s authority to confirm nominees for BOP’s leadership and hold them to the highest standards.”
Blackburn said in a release that a government agency that manages a multibillion-dollar budget and directly affects thousands of lives should not be exempt from Senate oversight.