Martha Wright Prison Phone Justice Act
Latest action · Apr 14, 2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 13, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Martha Wright Prison Phone Justice Act
This bill establishes requirements related to certain charges, practices, classifications, or regulations in connection with confinement facility (i.e., jail or prison) communications services.
Specifically, the bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish maximum rates and charges that a provider of prison communications services may charge for such services. The bill provides interim rate caps until the FCC establishes such rates and charges.
The bill requires a provider of prison communications services to assess all charges for communications on a per-minute basis for the actual duration of the communication, and it prohibits a provider from charging a per-communication or per-connection charge. A provider also may not charge an ancillary service charge except in certain circumstances.
Further, the bill prohibits a provider from assessing a site commission, which is a payment or donation made to certain entities that operate or oversee a confinement facility.
Cosponsors 48
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 8, 2021 to Dec 15, 2022.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Oct 8, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Danny K. Davis | Oct 8, 2021 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Oct 8, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Jerry McNerney | Oct 8, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Lucille Roybal-Allard | Oct 8, 2021 | |
| D-TX | Marc A. Veasey | Oct 8, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Adriano Espaillat | Oct 19, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | Oct 25, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Dec 7, 2021 | |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Dec 7, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Yvette D. Clarke | Dec 7, 2021 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Feb 1, 2022 | |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Mar 3, 2022 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Mar 15, 2022 | |
| D-WA | Suzan K. DelBene | Mar 15, 2022 | |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Mar 17, 2022 | |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Mar 18, 2022 | |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Mar 24, 2022 | |
| D-IL | Raja Krishnamoorthi | Mar 30, 2022 | |
| D-IL | Jesús G. "Chuy" García | Mar 31, 2022 | |
| D-IL | Marie Newman | Apr 1, 2022 | |
| D-MA | Ayanna Pressley | Apr 11, 2022 | |
| D-TX | Veronica Escobar | Apr 25, 2022 | |
| D-NY | Paul Tonko | May 10, 2022 | |
| D-PA | Dwight Evans | Jun 3, 2022 | |
| D-OR | Suzanne Bonamici | Jun 3, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Tony Cárdenas | Jun 3, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Jun 7, 2022 | |
| D-WI | Gwen Moore | Jun 7, 2022 | |
| D-VA | A. Donald McEachin | Jun 14, 2022 | |
| D-NJ | Donald M. Payne, Jr. | Aug 5, 2022 | |
| D-WA | Pramila Jayapal | Aug 5, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | Aug 9, 2022 | |
| D-NY | Thomas R. Suozzi | Aug 12, 2022 | |
| D-CO | Diana DeGette | Aug 26, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Zoe Lofgren | Aug 26, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Doris O. Matsui | Sep 2, 2022 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Sep 28, 2022 | |
| D-NY | Mondaire Jones | Oct 7, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Nanette Diaz Barragán | Oct 14, 2022 | |
| D-DE | Lisa Blunt Rochester | Oct 18, 2022 | |
| D-MA | Lori Trahan | Oct 18, 2022 | |
| D-MA | Seth Moulton | Nov 15, 2022 | |
| D-CT | John B. Larson | Nov 17, 2022 | |
| D-MI | Rashida Tlaib | Nov 29, 2022 | |
| D-IL | Robin L. Kelly | Nov 29, 2022 | |
| D-IL | Bill Foster | Dec 6, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Mike Levin | Dec 15, 2022 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Apr 13, 2021 |
| Communications and Technology Subcommittee | Referred Apr 14, 2021 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 14, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
- Apr 13, 2021Introduced in House
- Apr 13, 2021Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 63, April 13, 2021, page H1738.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 117-51 | STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF CONSUMERS148 pages | Energy and Commerce Committee | Oct 6, 2021 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 994 | Justice is Not For Sale Act of 2021 | Related bill | Apr 23, 2021 |
| HR 6389 | Martha Wright Prison Phone Justice Act | Reintroduction of | Mar 25, 2020 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure just and reasonable charges for confinement facility communications services, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Martha Wright Prison Phone Justice Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 13, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
