Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
This bill adds a new subsection to Section 2008 of the Social Security Act creating a grant program for demonstration projects that provide education and career pathways into health professions for low-income individuals (≤138% FPL) with arrest or conviction records. Grants (minimum 3-year projects) are awarded to eligible entities (workforce boards, states, tribes, colleges, hospitals, FQHCs, nonprofits, etc.) that demonstrate state policies allowing certain credentials for people with records and include plans for recruitment, credentialing, post-employment support, and legal assistance.
Scale and funding adequacy: liberals want larger sustained investment; conservatives see federal cost and want limits.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill creates a specific grant program within the Social Security Act to fund demonstration projects for training individuals with arrest or conviction records into in-demand health professions and includes relevant program design elements (eligible entities, application content, required supports, technical assistance, and mandated evaluations) along with a FY2026 appropriation.
This bill adds a new subsection to Section 2008 of the Social Security Act creating a grant program for demonstration projects that provide education and career pathways into health professions for low-income individuals (≤138% FPL) with arrest or conviction records.
Grants (minimum 3-year projects) are awarded to eligible entities (workforce boards, states, tribes, colleges, hospitals, FQHCs, nonprofits, etc.) that demonstrate state policies allowing certain credentials for people with records and include plans for recruitment, credentialing, post-employment support, and legal assistance.
The Secretary (in consultation with Labor, Education, and the Attorney General) must provide technical assistance and evaluate projects; preference is given to prior successful grantees and projects with emergency cash funds.
On content alone this is a low-controversy, narrowly scoped authorization with a small appropriation and built-in evaluation—features that favor enactment. However, many similar small authorizations rely on being folded into larger must-pass or appropriations vehicles; as a standalone bill its chance is moderate rather than high because floor time and legislative packaging are key determinants.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill creates a specific grant program within the Social Security Act to fund demonstration projects for training individuals with arrest or conviction records into in-demand health professions and includes relevant program design elements (eligible entities, application content, required supports, technical assistance, and mandated evaluations) along with a FY2026 appropriation.
Scale and funding adequacy: liberals want larger sustained investment; conservatives see federal cost and want limits.
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Scale and funding adequacy: liberals want larger sustained investment; conservatives see federal cost and want limits.
A mainstream progressive would likely view the bill positively as a targeted reentry and workforce-development measure that reduces barriers for low-income people with arrest or conviction records and addresses health care worker shortages.
They would appreciate the required legal assistance, emergency cash fund preference, and focus on credentialing and post-employment supports.
They would note the modest appropriation and stress the need for sustained, scaled funding and strong protections for participant rights.
A moderate would likely view the bill as a pragmatic, targeted pilot to tackle two acknowledged problems—health care labor shortages and reentry barriers—while retaining an evaluation requirement to judge effectiveness.
They would welcome the emphasis on evidence (rigorous evaluations) and partnerships with workforce entities, but be concerned about the small initial appropriation and variability in state licensure laws that the bill relies on.
They would want clearer performance metrics, fiscal accountability, and a plan for scaling only if evaluations demonstrate cost-effectiveness.
A mainstream conservative would likely be cautious or skeptical about the bill.
While they may support reentry initiatives in principle, they will be concerned about federal involvement in workforce credentialing, potential public-safety implications of expanding access to health careers for people with certain conviction records, and new federal spending.
They will emphasize state primacy over licensure, employer liability and patient safety, and want strict accountability and narrow eligibility.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
On content alone this is a low-controversy, narrowly scoped authorization with a small appropriation and built-in evaluation—features that favor enactment. However, many similar small authorizations rely on being folded into larger must-pass or appropriations vehicles; as a standalone bill its chance is moderate rather than high because floor time and legislative packaging are key determinants.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Scale and funding adequacy: liberals want larger sustained investment; conservatives see federal cost and want limits.
On content alone this is a low-controversy, narrowly scoped authorization with a small appropriation and built-in evaluation—features that…
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill creates a specific grant program within the Social Security Act to fund demonstration projects for training individuals with arrest or conviction records into in-dema…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.