Act, may be used by the Attorney General, or by any individual or organization awarded discretionary funds under this Act, or any amendments made by this Act, to host or support any expenditure for conferences that uses more than $20,000 in Department funds, unless the Deputy Attorney General or such Assistant Attorney Generals, Directors, or principal deputies as the Deputy Attorney General may designate, provides prior written authorization that the funds may be expended to host a conference. A conference that uses more than $20,000 in such funds, but less than an average of $500 in such funds for each attendee of the conference, shall not be subject to the limitations of this section. (b) Written approval Written approval under subsection (a) shall include a written estimate of all costs associated with the conference, including the cost of all food and beverages, audiovisual equipment, honoraria for speakers, and any entertainment. (c) Report The Deputy Attorney General shall submit an annual report to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives on all approved conference expenditures referenced in this section. 7. Evaluation of the Second Chance Act program (a) Evaluation of the second chance act grant program Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the National Institute of Justice shall evaluate the effectiveness of grants used by the Department of Justice to support offender reentry and recidivism reduction programs at the State, local, Tribal, and Federal levels. The National Institute of Justice shall evaluate the following: (1) The effectiveness of such programs in relation to their cost, including the extent to which the programs improve reentry outcomes, including employment, education, housing, reductions in recidivism, of participants in comparison to comparably situated individuals who did not participate in such programs and activities. (2) The effectiveness of program structures and mechanisms for