Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act

House Bill

H.R. 868

119th Congress

Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act

In Committee

Introduced:Aug 1, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Grace Meng

Representative

Democratic

NY-6

Cosponsors

1

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Emergency Management

Summary

This bill would change how Congress votes on national emergencies declared by the president. Currently, Congress must consider whether to end an emergency every 6 months, but does not have to actually vote. This bill would require Congress to hold a vote every 6 months to decide whether the emergency should be continued or ended.

Latest Action

Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

SponsorGrace Meng (D-NY)

Introduced8/1/2025

StatusReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

ChamberHouse

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Vote Prediction

Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act

This bill would change how Congress votes on national emergencies declared by the president. Currently, Congress must consider whether to end an emergency every 6 months, but does not have to actually vote. This bill would require Congress to hold a vote every

Community Breakdown

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This bill would change how Congress votes on national emergencies declared by the president. Currently, Congress must consider whether to end an emergency every 6 months, but does not have to actually vote. This bill would require Congress to hold a vote every 6 months to decide whether the emergency should be continued or ended.

Bill Number: 868
Sponsor: Grace Meng (D-NY)
Introduced: 8/1/2025
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Policy Area: Emergency Management

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act
Bill Number: 868
Sponsor: Grace Meng (D-NY)
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced: 8/1/2025
Summary: This bill would change how Congress votes on national emergencies declared by the president. Currently, Congress must consider whether to end an emergency every 6 months, but does not have to actually vote. This bill would require Congress to hold a vote every 6 months to decide whether the emergenc

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill would change how Congress votes on national emergencies declared by the president. Currently, Congress must consider whether to end an emergency every 6 months, but does not have to actually vote. This bill would require Congress to hold a vote every 6 months to decide whether the emergency should be continued or ended.

Last updated: 12/30/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

<p>This bill addresses the period for the congressional review of termination of certain national emergencies.</p> <p>Specifically, it requires each house of Congress to vote every six months on a joint resolution to determine whether an emergency declaration shall be terminated. Currently, each house must consider a vote every six months (but not necessarily vote) on a joint resolution to determine whether that emergency shall continue to be in effect.</p>

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Requires Congress to vote every 6 months on whether a declared national emergency should be terminated
Currently, Congress only has to consider a vote on continuing an emergency, not actually hold one
This gives Congress more direct oversight power over national emergencies declared by the president

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would affect the balance of power between the president and Congress when it comes to national emergencies. It would give Congress more authority to end emergencies declared by the president, even if the president wants to continue them. This could have significant real-world impacts, as national emergencies can unlock special presidential powers and federal funding.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Emergency Management

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

868, 119th Congress (2025). "Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-868

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