# 119-s-5296: Pathways to Health Careers Act

119-s-5296, Pathways to Health Careers Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5296
- As of: 2026-08-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5296
- Congress: 119
- Title: Pathways to Health Careers Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-06
- Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-21

## Summary

**Creates a new, federally funded HPOG 2.0 to *expand training and job placement for low-income people into health careers*.** The program funds multi-year grants that train participants for nursing, allied health, emergency services, health IT, doulas, midwives, and other in-demand health occupations while testing models that address criminal-record barriers and maternal health workforce gaps. - Families and low-income participants: Offers training plus supports like child care referrals or payments, transportation help, cash stipends, emergency financial assistance, and education to earn recognized postsecondary credentials; eligible individuals must have family income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. - Tribal communities and territories: Guarantees at least 10 tribal grantees and at least two grantees in each U.S. territory, and allows projects involving tribal midwives where tribes recognize them. - Employers, workforce boards, and training partners: Grants must coordinate with local workforce development boards under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, higher education, employers, unions, and apprenticeship models, and include rigorous data reporting and evaluation requirements. *This proposal increases federal spending by $435 million annually for fiscal years 2027–2031, including a $10 million annual reserve for federal staffing.*

## Cosponsors (7)

- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Eligibility and tax-free participant supports: benefit, high. If enacted, projects would serve people with family income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. In States with TANF, at least 10% of project participants must meet that State's TANF income rules. Projects would offer adult basic skills assessment and education, case management, career coa…
- Funding and staffing for the program: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would authorize $435 million each year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 for the program. Each year $10 million would be reserved to hire or retain at least 25 career civil servants at the Administration for Children and Families to run and evaluate the program. The remainder…
- Training demos for justice and maternal care: benefit, medium. If enacted, the program would run two required demonstration types for at least five years each. One demo would reduce arrest and conviction record barriers to career pathways and could provide legal assistance. The other demo would expand maternal health career pathways, prioritizing doula and mid…
- New grants to train health workers: benefit, medium. If enacted, HHS would award competitive grants to run local health-care career programs. Eligible applicants would include workforce boards, States, tribes, colleges, hospitals, nonprofits, labor groups, and other qualified organizations. Grants must run at least five years, and applicants must con…

## Related bills

- 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
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5296 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5296)

## Related
- [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)
- [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)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5296 (as of 2026-08-21).