Second Chance Bill Waits on its Own Chance for Passage
The emergence of any positive news involving financial assistance programs out off Washington these days is like finding a needle in a haystack, assuming the haystack hasn’t been gated off due to the federal government shutdown. However, the Senate last week did take some bipartisan efforts in support of a bill to extend funding for grant programs to assist those returning from prison to the general society.
As part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, the Senate passed the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 1843) as an amendment to the defense bill. The bill would extend the following through FY 2030: grants for family-based substance abuse treatment; grants to evaluate and improve educational methods at prisons, jails and juvenile facilities; careers training demonstration grants; the offender reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration program; and community-based mentoring and transitional service grants to nonprofit organizations.
Passed by the Senate, the NDAA has now gone to the House for consideration. The House companion bill, H.R. 3552, is led by Reps. Carol Miller (R-W.V.) and Danny Davis (D-Ill.). Since House Leader Mike Johnson (R-La.) has expressed no interest in bringing House members back to D.C. until the end of the shutdown, a final vote on this legislation, as well as any other federal funding, could still be a long way off.
With more than 400,000 incarcerated individuals eventually slated be released each year, the Second Chance Reauthorization Act would provide resources to states, tribal and local governments, and community organizations to ensure that these individuals continue to receive coordinated, evidence-based reentry services. It’s a worthwhile effort – assuming the legislation itself is released from the binds of the shutdown and can eventually pass into law.
Join us for our following Thompson Grants event:
Federal Grants Forum | Nov. 11-12, 2025 | Orlando, Fla.
