# 119-s-5570: Ready to Work Act of 2026

119-s-5570, Ready to Work Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-15).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5570
- As of: 2026-10-15
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5570
- Congress: 119
- Title: Ready to Work Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-28
- Sponsor: Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-15

## Summary

**This bill would create a federal jobs initiative to address long-term unemployment** by funding locally run jobs programs and competitive grants for high-poverty areas to connect people to paid, transitional, and credentialed work with supportive services.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New federal jobs program and funding: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would create a federal jobs initiative run by the Department of Labor. The Secretary would make 4-year agreements with local boards and pay eligible wage and program costs. The bill would authorize and appropriate such sums as necessary each year beginning in FY2026. Local boar…
- Worker input, employer picks, and grievances: benefit, medium. If enacted, local boards would ask eligible workers for feedback and consider input from labor and joint labor-management groups when choosing or renewing participating employers. At union-covered worksites, all labor organizations would have to consent before placements. Employers could not displa…
- Wage floors, employer shares, and caps: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would require participating employers to pay eligible workers at least the highest of three rates: the federal minimum wage, the State or local minimum wage, or the poverty-line hourly rate for a family of four. Employers would have to provide participants the same level of ben…
- Who can join and job types covered: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would define an eligible worker as someone 18 or older, authorized to work in the U.S., not employed or a full-time student for at least 27 weeks, and seeking work for at least 4 weeks. Program positions would include temporary jobs, transitional jobs, registered apprenticeship…

## Related bills

- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families 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-5570 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5570)

## 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-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [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-5570 (as of 2026-10-15).