# 119-s-4319: Rehabilitation Through Reading Act of 2026

119-s-4319, Rehabilitation Through Reading Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4319
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4319
- Congress: 119
- Title: Rehabilitation Through Reading Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-16
- Sponsor: Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Creates a Publication Review Committee to govern which books are available in federal prison libraries and to protect incarcerated people's access to information.** This bill would set who must serve on the committee, limit the Director's ability to ban books alone, require timely appeals, and force annual reporting to Congress. - Would make it harder to remove books without review. A book can be prohibited only after the Director sends a written request to the Publication Review Committee (PRC) and the PRC approves. An incarcerated person may appeal and if the appeal is filed before removal the book stays available until the PRC issues a final decision within 90 days. - Would create a PRC of at least five members that must include the Ombudsman from the Federal Prison Oversight Act, one professional librarian employed by the Bureau of Prisons, one person in custody, and one First Amendment expert. The PRC's determinations are discretionary and generally do not need further approval by the Director. - Would increase transparency for Congress. The Director would have to send the House and Senate Judiciary Committees an annual report within 30 days after each fiscal year ends listing prohibited books and summarizing every appeal and its outcome.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More book access for federal inmates: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons would have to set up a Publication Review Committee within 90 days. The committee would have at least five members, including the Ombudsman, one professional librarian employed by the Bureau, one person in custody, and a First Amendment expert. Afte…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2231: GLOBE Act of 2025
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act

## Sources
- [119-s-4319 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4319)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2231: GLOBE Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2231)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4319 (as of 2026-08-11).