FAMM Responds to Passage of H.R. 6938 to Establish Ombudsman Office

WASHINGTON, D.C. – FAMM is excited to announce that on January 23, President Donald J. Trump enacted H.R. 6938, the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026, into law. This legislation directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish the Ombudsman office, a key provision of the Federal Prison Oversight Act (FPOA).

In short, Congress has made clear that DOJ should begin preparing to implement the FPOA, even as funding details are still being worked out. This is a major step forward to ensuring transparency within the federal Bureau of Prisons and providing real solutions, not just for incarcerated people, but for their loved ones as well.

In 2024, the bipartisan FPOA was signed into law to bring long-overdue transparency and accountability to the federal prison system through the creation of an independent Ombudsman and a new inspection framework. The law envisions implementation once Congress provides dedicated funding.

FAMM is pleased by the continued bipartisan support and meaningful progress toward implementing FPOA. We will continue to actively work with Congress and other stakeholders to ensure that FPOA planning moves forward. It is crucial that dedicated funding is secured so the oversight system can launch as intended, delivering accountability, safety, and transparency that incarcerated people, correctional staff, and families deserve.

About FAMM

FAMM’s mission is to create a more fair and effective justice system that respects our American values of individual accountability and dignity while keeping our communities safe. This mission not only reduces unnecessary suffering for incarcerated people, but also for their family members who have to serve the sentence along with their incarcerated loved one.

The organization is committed to nonpartisanship and embraces the value of racial, cultural, and political diversity in its advocacy. FAMM’s greatest asset has always been the stories of its members. By sharing the impact of unjust sentencing and prison policies on incarcerated individuals, their families, and their communities, FAMM has helped create urgency around the issue and made the problem feel real to policymakers who have to be moved to make meaningful change.

Among its many accomplishments, FAMM and its members have led the enactment of federal legislation to reform sentencing and prison policies, including the 1994 drug sentencing safety valve, the Fair Sentencing Act, the First Step Act of 2018, and 2024’s Federal Prison Oversight Act, as well as the repeal or reform of drug mandatory minimum sentences in multiple states, including Michigan, Massachusetts, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, and Iowa. It has also led improvements to the federal sentencing guidelines, was a founding member of Clemency Project 2014, spearheaded a federal Compassionate Release Clearinghouse,and has led advocacy at the U.S. Supreme Court in major cases.

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