Reps Kustoff, Timmons Introduce the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act of 2019

Reps David Kustoff (R-TN) and William Timmons (R-SC) introduced the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act of 2019 (HR 1954). Sens Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced identical legislation on the Senate side. This bill will address the use of contraband cell phones in state and federal correctional facilities.  What this bill does:

• Allows state and federal prisons to use jamming systems to interfere with cellphone signals within the housing facilities of the inmates.
• Requires the state or federal facility that implements a jamming system to report such use to the Bureau of Prisons, which will have the ultimate authority over the system.
• This bill is not a mandate, instead, it is an option for state and federal prisons to implement a jamming system that will protect inmates and the public at large.
• Allows for the facilities to choose from a broad category of jamming technology, which includes managed access technology, surgical jamming technology, beacon technology, or any future technology that would curb the use of contraband cellphones, and does not prescribe the specific types of technology that must be used by the facilities.