# 119-s-5559: BASIC Act of 2026

119-s-5559, BASIC Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5559
- As of: 2026-10-16
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5559
- Congress: 119
- Title: BASIC Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-16

## Summary

**This bill would create a federal grant program and data-sharing system to help colleges identify and address student basic needs, centering on **student basic-needs support**.** It pairs planning and implementation grants with outreach, benefits enrollment help, and national reporting to track food, housing, child care, and related insecurities. - Students and families: Expands on-campus and coordinated off-campus help like free or subsidized food, temporary housing, priority child care, outreach to reduce stigma, and help applying for federal benefits. - Colleges and campuses: Offers competitive planning grants up to $200,000 for up to 2 years and implementation grants up to $5.0 million per institution per 5-year period, with a requirement to plan for non-Federal funding after grants end. - Equity, funding, and data: Requires at least 25 percent of funds for community colleges and at least 25 percent for HBCUs, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other minority-serving institutions. It mandates data-sharing with benefit agencies, confidentiality protections, and a national report on student basic-needs insecurity due within 2 years. *Would authorize $1.0 billion per year for fiscal years 2027–2033 ($40.0 million for planning and $960.0 million for implementation), which would increase federal spending if appropriated.*

## Cosponsors (7)

- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-09-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New basic-needs grants for colleges: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would create competitive grants to help colleges address student basic needs and authorize $1 billion per year for FY2027–FY2033. Each year $40 million would fund planning grants (up to $200,000 for up to 2 years) and $960 million would fund implementation grants (up to $5 mill…
- Student benefit outreach and notices: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Secretary of Education would keep data-sharing agreements with Federal and State agencies to identify student-aid applicants who may be eligible for listed federal benefits. Applicants who did not get benefits in the past 2 years would be notified that they may enroll and given appl…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 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

## Sources
- [119-s-5559 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5559)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [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)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5559 (as of 2026-10-16).