# 119-s-4039: Professional Degree Access Restoration Act

119-s-4039, Professional Degree Access Restoration Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD] (D-MD); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-06).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4039
- As of: 2026-06-06
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4039
- Congress: 119
- Title: Professional Degree Access Restoration Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-10
- Sponsor: Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD] (D-MD)
- Cosponsors: 17
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-06

## Summary

**This bill would restore federal loan limits for graduate and professional students** by reversing reductions made under Public Law 119-21 and rebuilding the annual and aggregate limits in Higher Education Act section 455(a). It would also reorganize and renumber parts of section 455(a), remove a subparagraph, update cross-references, and add transition language so the restored limits apply to periods of instruction beginning on or after July 1, 2012 while keeping consistency for periods ending before June 30, 2026.

## Cosponsors (17)

- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-03-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-03-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE), 2026-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH), 2026-06-04T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Changes to graduate student loan limits: mixed, medium. This bill would change which graduate and professional students follow the federal loan limits. It would restore the earlier framework for annual and aggregate graduate loan limits. This change would apply to any period of instruction that begins on or after July 1, 2012. The bill would remove a da…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act
- 119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-4039 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4039)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2295)
- [119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-852)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4039 (as of 2026-06-06).