# 119-s-1542: Uyghur Policy Act of 2026

119-s-1542, Uyghur Policy Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT] (R-UT); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-06).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1542
- As of: 2026-08-06
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1542
- Congress: 119
- Title: Uyghur Policy Act of 2026
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-04-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT] (R-UT)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: International Affairs
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-06

## Summary

**This bill would center U.S. diplomacy on pressing the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to stop its repression and to protect the distinct cultural, religious, and linguistic identity of Uyghurs and other minorities.** It would require targeted diplomatic steps, reporting, and limited public diplomacy funding to support Uyghur rights and accountability efforts.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA] (D-GA), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Small speaker grants for Uyghur advocates: benefit, low. If enacted, $250,000 would be made available each fiscal year for 2025, 2026, and 2027 from the U.S. Speaker Program to bring Uyghur and other persecuted minority human rights advocates to public diplomacy events. The Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs would pick speakers afte…
- Uyghur language training for diplomats: benefit, low. If enacted, the State Department would make Uyghur language training available to Foreign Service officers and would try to assign at least one Uyghur‑speaking officer to each U.S. diplomatic or consular post in China. The Foreign Service Institute would report on steps taken within 1 year and then…
- No new funding for this Act: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would not authorize any new, dedicated funding to carry out its requirements. Agencies would have to use amounts already authorized for similar purposes to meet the Act's duties.
- U.S. diplomatic push for Uyghurs: mixed, low. If enacted, the Secretary of State would be required to prioritize U.S. policies and programs that support Uyghurs and other minorities from Xinjiang. The Secretary would coordinate releases of political prisoners, support independent media, and work with partners and the UN to press China to allow…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-1462: Fix Our Forests Act
- 119-s-3257: John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for the taxation of certain residents of Taiwan with income from sources within the…

## Sources
- [119-s-1542 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1542)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-1462: Fix Our Forests Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1462)
- [119-s-3257: John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3257)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-199)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1542 (as of 2026-08-06).