# 119-s-2236: YALI Act of 2026

119-s-2236, YALI Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD); status in_committee (as of 2026-05-28).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2236
- As of: 2026-05-28
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2236
- Congress: 119
- Title: YALI Act of 2026
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-07-10
- Sponsor: Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: International Affairs
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-05-28

## Summary

**Creates a U.S.-led Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI)** to build leadership and entrepreneurship capacity across sub-Saharan Africa. The bill would link fellowships, exchanges, regional leadership centers, and economic assistance to strengthen governance and business ties. - Young African leaders and alumni would get expanded training and networks. The Mandela Washington Fellowship would target fellows aged 25–35, include a six-week U.S. Leadership Institute, alumni training in Africa, online courses, and an annual fellowship summit. - Local economies and businesses would see more U.S. economic and technical help to promote growth. The bill emphasizes stronger U.S.–African business ties, reduced vulnerability to predatory lending, and better skills in procurement, contract negotiation, and budget oversight. - U.S. agencies and Congress would get structured oversight and timelines. The Secretary of State, working with USAID, must deliver an implementation plan within 180 days and publish annual progress reports for five years, with the first report assessing possible expansion to North African countries.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] (R-SD), 2025-07-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New U.S. program for African leaders: mixed, low. If enacted, this bill would create the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) run by the Secretary of State. YALI would fund a six-week U.S. Leadership Institute and an annual Fellowship Summit. It would also support regional training centers, online and in-person courses, and alumni programs in s…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026
- 119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act

## Sources
- [119-s-2236 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2236)

## Related
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4504)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5025)
- [119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3940)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2236 (as of 2026-05-28).