# 119-s-4142: SHIELD Act

119-s-4142, SHIELD Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4142
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4142
- Congress: 119
- Title: SHIELD Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-19
- Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**This bill would expand access to immigration-related legal representation.** It creates a Department of Justice grant program to scale the immigration defense workforce and build local infrastructure for high-quality, linguistically appropriate representation. - People facing removal would gain more opportunities for independent legal representation in places that lack publicly funded counsel, including services regardless of ability to pay. - Lawyers, accredited representatives, social workers, and community navigators could receive funds for recruitment, training, retention, and leadership development to grow capacity and improve service quality. - States, local governments, and qualifying nonprofits could compete for grants to fund staffing, technical assistance, local coordination, and subawards; grantees must file annual reports and face Inspector General audits and nonprofit transparency rules. *Would authorize $100 million for DOJ in FY2026 and $100 million in FY2027, totaling $200 million in authorized federal funding and increasing federal spending.*

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More legal help for immigrants facing deportation: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Justice Department would award competitive grants to expand immigration-related legal representation for people in removal proceedings. The Office for Access to Justice would run the program and set rules. The bill would authorize $100 million for each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027…
- New oversight rules for grantees: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would set rules about who can get grants and how grantees must manage funds. Eligible recipients must be States, local governments, or nonprofits that provide or train immigration legal service staff; nonprofits that hold offshore funds to avoid the section 511(a) tax could be…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4142 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4142)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [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)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4142 (as of 2026-08-11).