# 119-hr-5212: SBIR/STTR Innovation Workforce Act

119-hr-5212, SBIR/STTR Innovation Workforce Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Scholten, Hillary J. [D-MI-3] (D-MI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5212
- 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-5212
- Congress: 119
- Title: SBIR/STTR Innovation Workforce Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-08
- Sponsor: Rep. Scholten, Hillary J. [D-MI-3] (D-MI)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Commerce
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Creates SBIR/STTR Phase II fellowships and internships to connect award-winning small businesses with students and postdocs.** It would require inclusive outreach and cap the share of SBIR/STTR funds used. - Small businesses that hold SBIR/STTR Phase II awards would gain access to funded fellows and interns at undergraduate through postdoctoral levels, making it easier to bring trained talent onto Phase II projects. - Students and early-career researchers would get paid fellowship and internship opportunities tied to Phase II projects, and agencies must boost participation by women, socially disadvantaged individuals (section 8(a)(5)), and economically disadvantaged individuals (section 8(a)(6)(A)). - Federal agencies could run these programs directly or partner with third-party nonprofit organizations to deliver or support them, and for agencies not using subsection (mm) the bill would cap spending at no more than 3% of the SBIR/STTR funds required under paragraph (1). - The same fellowship and internship rules would apply under both subsection (f) and subsection (n) of section 9 to preserve parity across SBIR/STTR funding structures.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grants for SBIR/STTR firms to host interns: benefit, low. If enacted, agencies could fund fellowships and internships at small businesses with SBIR or STTR Phase II awards. Trainees could be at the undergraduate, baccalaureate, graduate, or postdoctoral level in fields the agency values. Agencies could run programs alone or with experienced nonprofit part…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026

## Sources
- [119-hr-5212 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5212)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4393)
- [119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7481)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5212 (as of 2026-04-21).