# 119-hr-3655: STAR Plus Scholarship Act

119-hr-3655, STAR Plus Scholarship Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3655
- As of: 2026-10-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-3655
- Congress: 119
- Title: STAR Plus Scholarship Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-05-29
- Sponsor: Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-10

## Summary

**Expands the behavioral and mental health workforce through targeted scholarships.** This program funds students training to treat substance use and mental health disorders in areas that lack enough providers and ties each award to a service commitment. - Students and trainees: Full-time students in eligible programs can receive scholarships that cover tuition and reasonable educational expenses while enrolled. Recipients must sign a contract and serve one year in a designated shortage area for each school year funded, and the contract specifies damages for breach. - Communities with shortages: Awards are aimed at staffing mental health professional shortage areas, counties with high overdose rates, or other shortage facilities. A Replacement Fund will hold breach recoveries and other receipts to pay for recruitment or temporary services when needed. - Program design and taxes: The Secretary, through HRSA, administers the program and may prioritize applicants likely to remain in shortage areas or who are underrepresented. The law excludes these scholarships from recipients gross income and authorizes $75.0 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. *Authorizes $75.0 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for the scholarship program.*

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (D-NY), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] (D-CA), 2025-05-29T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Scholarship money would be tax-free: benefit, high. This bill would make these scholarships tax‑free. Money you receive would not count as income on your taxes. The change would apply to tax years ending after enactment. That could lower your tax bill.
- Backup fund to replace lost clinicians: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create a Treasury fund for this scholarship program. Each year it would get last year’s breach recoveries, plus interest and any sale proceeds. Money would stay available until spent, and the Treasury would invest only in U.S. government bonds. If Congress provides money,…
- Scholarships for future mental health workers: mixed, high. If enacted, the Health Resources and Services Administration would run a new scholarship for behavioral health students. Awards would pay tuition and reasonable costs like fees, books, and lab expenses. Congress is authorized to provide $75 million each year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. To q…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-3655 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3655)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10421)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3655 (as of 2026-10-10).