# 119-hr-4452: STEM RESTART Act

119-hr-4452, STEM RESTART Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6] (D-PA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4452
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-4452
- Congress: 119
- Title: STEM RESTART Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-07-16
- Sponsor: Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6] (D-PA)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Support mid-career workers returning to or transitioning into the STEM workforce.** This bill would create a RESTART grant program to fund employer-run, paid returnships that combine training and on-the-job experience to place participants into above-entry-level STEM roles and career pathways. - Mid-career workers: Unemployed or underemployed individuals would get access to paid returnships of at least 10 weeks with training, mentorship, and compensation above entry level aimed at moving participants into full-time STEM jobs. Priority is given to rural participants and in-demand STEM sectors. - Employers: Small (50–499 employees) and medium (500–9,999 employees) STEM employers could win competitive grants. Awards range from $100,000 to $1.0 million per year for small employers and $500,000 to $5.0 million per year for medium employers or consortia, funding training, stipends, equipment, travel, and mentorship while limiting use of funds to staff compensation to 20 percent. - State workforce systems and transparency: Grantees must coordinate with State workforce boards, submit annual participant data disaggregated by sex, race, and ethnicity, and the Secretary will publish best practices based on those reports. *Would authorize $50.0 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2030, totaling $250.0 million in authorized funds.*

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Baird, James R. [R-IN-4] (R-IN), 2025-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4] (D-PA), 2026-02-17T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grants for small and mid-sized STEM employers: benefit, high. If enacted, $50 million per year (FY2026–FY2030) would fund RESTART grants that run 3–5 years. Small firms (50–499 employees) could get $100,000–$1 million per year; medium firms or consortia (500–9,999 employees) could get $500,000–$5 million per year. Applicants must be U.S.-based in in‑demand ST…
- STEM returnships for mid-career workers: benefit, medium. If enacted, the government would fund returnship programs to help mid‑career workers get back into STEM jobs. The program would focus on people who are unemployed or underemployed, especially in rural areas. Returnships would be above entry level, with pay and benefits above entry level, plus on‑th…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-1004: Love Lives On Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-4452 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4452)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4393)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-1004: Love Lives On Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1004)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4452 (as of 2026-04-21).