1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Restoring the Partnership for County Health Care Costs Act of 2017 . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) The United States Supreme Court has interpreted the 8th Amendment to require governmental entities to provide medical care to persons involuntarily confined in jails, detention centers, and prisons. (2) The Federal Government does not provide health benefits under Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to inmates even if the person is awaiting trial in jail and has not been convicted. However, beneficiaries who are released after posting bond, or who are released under their own recognizance, or who are released under house arrest may continue to receive Medicare, Medicaid, SSI, and CHIP benefits. (3) The cost of providing health care in prisons and jails has increased exponentially due in part to high incarceration rates, infectious diseases, chronic conditions, substance abuse treatment, mental illness, aging prison populations, rising prescription drug costs, and mandatory sentencing laws. (4) 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 been convicted places an unnecessary burden on local governments who have been negatively impacted by recession, widespread budget deficits, and cuts to safety net programs and services. (5) Jails generally have a higher instance of mentally ill inmates because jails frequently serve as holding places for low-income persons who are waiting placement in a mental facility and for mentally ill persons who commit nuisance crimes because of inadequate access to treatment in their communities. (6) The rising cost of bail has also contributed to an overall increase in the jail population and health care costs for inmates. The high cost of bail has contributed to the disproportionate rate of incarceration among