S. 3616: Pregnant Women in Custody Act

115th Congress · introduced 2018-11-14 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2018-11-14 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Pregnant Women in Custody Act

Plain summary

Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act or the Pregnant Women in Custody Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to limit the use of restraints and restrictive housing for prisoners who are pregnant or in postpartum recovery. Additionally, it requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics to include, in the National Prison Statistics Program and Annual Survey of Jails, statistics on the health needs of incarcerated pregnant women. A Bureau of Prisons facility must provide appropriate services and programs to address the health and safety needs of women inmates related to pregnancy and childbirth. The Government Accountability Office must study the services and protections for pregnant incarcerated women in state and local correctional settings.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Pregnant Women in Custody Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY] reported raising $4.6 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s3616.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s3616 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115