Bill sets two-year penalty for smuggling phones into federal prisons
Passed one chamberS. 736Latest action
Sponsor: Chuck Grassley · Senator · IA
AIDecoded by AI · checked against the recordRead the official text
Official title: Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act
119th Congress
Topics: Crime & justice
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govIn plain words
The plain-language version comes first. The official text is always the reference.
S 736 sets a two-year prison penalty for smuggling cell phones into federal prisons and orders a policy review.
40-second read · 4 questions answered below
What does this do?
S 736, named for Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati, sets a specific penalty of up to two years in prison for illegally giving a phone to a federal inmate, closing a gap where phone smuggling was punished more lightly than other contraband. It also requires the Federal Bureau of Prisons to review, within one year, its policies on inmates who make, possess, or try to obtain banned items like phones and update rules as needed.
Who does it affect?
The bill affects federal inmates, corrections staff, visitors, and anyone who might try to smuggle a phone into a federal prison.
Why does it matter?
Phones are considered dangerous contraband because inmates have used them to coordinate crimes, threaten witnesses, or communicate outside monitored channels, raising safety stakes inside prisons.
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Read the official bill on Congress.govMake the call
Where does it stand?
- IntroducedFeb 26, 2025
- Senate committee
- Senate vote
- HouseYou are here · Jun 15, 2026
- The president's desk
Right now: it passed the Senate, and the official record shows nothing new since. If the House changes it, it goes back to the Senate before reaching the president.
Latest action: — Held at the desk.