February 25, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 34 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E203-E204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




REINTRODUCTION OF THE RESTORING THE PARTNERSHIP FOR COUNTY HEALTH CARE 
                           COSTS ACT OF 2019

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 25, 2019

  Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill to 
restore the partnership between the federal government and counties for 
the health care costs of inmates who have not been convicted of a 
crime. This legislation will provide some relief to our nation's local 
economies, while strengthening the fundamental principles of our 
justice system.
  In almost all states, a person who is incarcerated in a county jail 
or juvenile detention facility loses their Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP or 
SSI benefits even if they have not been convicted of a crime. The U.S. 
Supreme Court's interpretation of the 8th Amendment requires government 
entities to provide medical care to all inmates. As a result, local 
governments are burdened with the expense of providing health care to 
thousands of men, women, and children currently awaiting trial.
  Providing health care for inmates constitutes a major portion of 
local jail operating costs. Requiring county governments to cover 
health care costs for inmates who have not yet been convicted of a 
crime places an unnecessary

[[Page E204]]

burden on local governments, which have their fair share of widespread 
budget deficits and cuts to safety net programs and other essential 
services to deal with as it is.
  Terminating benefits to inmates who are awaiting trial undermines the 
presumption of innocence, which is a cornerstone principle of our 
justice system. The current practice does not distinguish between 
persons who are awaiting disposition of charges and persons who have 
been duly convicted and sentenced. Moreover, this reality 
disproportionately affects low-income and minority populations who are 
often unable to post bond, which would enable them to continue 
receiving benefits.
  Madam Speaker, my legislation addresses this problem by prohibiting 
the federal government from stripping individuals of their Medicare, 
Medicaid, and SSI benefits before the inmate has been convicted of a 
crime. It preserves the partnership between the federal and local 
governments and ensures that local governments are not burdened with an 
unfair share of meeting the constitutional mandate to guarantee medical 
coverage. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
commonsense bill that addresses a problem affecting communities all 
across the nation.

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