# 119-s-4637: Conrad 30 Physician Workforce Optimization Act

119-s-4637, Conrad 30 Physician Workforce Optimization Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND] (R-ND); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4637
- 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-4637
- Congress: 119
- Title: Conrad 30 Physician Workforce Optimization Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-21
- Sponsor: Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND] (R-ND)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Connect more J-1 physicians to underserved areas by raising state Conrad 30 waiver caps and creating a USCIS-run secondary match portal.** The bill would raise each state's per-year waiver cap from 10 to 15 and set rules for a centralized secondary match window. - International medical graduates with J-1 status who applied for a two-year home-residence waiver but were not selected or could not apply because a state's cap was reached would be eligible to join a USCIS-administered secondary match portal. Employers and State health departments could review these candidates through the portal. - Each state would gain 5 additional waiver slots per year, giving States and employers more capacity to recruit full-time primary care or specialty physicians for health professional shortage areas or medically underserved areas. Employers must certify the facility location and that they unsuccessfully advertised the position. - USCIS would run a secondary match period no longer than 60 days and publish best practices and core application requirements to streamline reviews and reduce paperwork for participating States and employers.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More waiver slots per State: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would raise the per‑State cap on flex waiver slots from 10 to 15, adding five slots for each State. This numeric change would let more eligible J‑1 physicians be placed in States. The provision does not specify new funding or other implementation details.
- New physician secondary match portal: mixed, low. If enacted, USCIS would set up an online secondary match portal for certain J‑1 physicians who were not selected or who could not apply for a waiver and who ask to join. States and employers with unfilled waiver slots could view credentials and interview portal candidates. USCIS would create a shor…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-3492: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-600: Supporting Adopted Children and Families Act

## Sources
- [119-s-4637 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4637)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4949)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-3492: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3492)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-600: Supporting Adopted Children and Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-600)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4637 (as of 2026-08-11).