# 119-s-709: Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act

119-s-709, Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-709
- As of: 2026-10-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-709
- Congress: 119
- Title: Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-25
- Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-10

## Summary

**Would extend and modernize the Conrad State 30 J-1 visa waiver to keep more foreign physicians working in rural and medically underserved areas.** It would expand waiver capacity, strengthen worker protections, and make it easier for doctors and their families to train and stay in shortage areas. - Physicians and families: Would broaden who can qualify to remain after completing service, let physicians seek immigration classification before finishing their service, and allow service time to aggregate toward a 5-year requirement. It would also provide short-term work authorization and extensions up to 6 months and exempt spouses and children from certain J-1 residency restrictions. - States and underserved communities: Would change how waivers are allotted so states can receive 35 waivers when usage thresholds are met and gain 5 additional waivers in later years if use remains high. It also creates rules to recapture slots when physicians move between states and ties increases to state-level usage. - Employers and protections: Would tighten the definition of a bona fide full-time offer, require a 3-year minimum service period, ban non-compete clauses, mandate written employment agreements on pay, on-call and malpractice coverage, and allow a 120-day window for terminated physicians to remain or transition.

## Cosponsors (7)

- Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] (R-ME), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV] (D-NV), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS), 2025-10-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR] (R-AR), 2025-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (R-IA), 2025-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-02-25T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Extend Conrad program for three years: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would extend the Conrad State 30 program until three years after this Act is enacted. The amendment would be treated as if it took effect on September 30, 2018.
- Easier green card paths for physicians: benefit, medium. If enacted, this bill would make it easier for J‑1 physicians to change to other work visas and seek green cards. Federal or State agencies could ask DHS to change a physician's status without counting toward normal numerical caps. The bill would add a new immigrant preference for physicians who co…
- More waiver slots and academic exceptions: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would change how many Conrad waivers each State gets. States could get 35 waivers when most slots were used, and gain +5 waivers in later years if usage stays high. If total waivers fall, all States could lose five waivers at a time, but no State could fall below 30 waivers. Th…
- Protections and timing for physicians: mixed, medium. If enacted, waiver recipients would normally need to work three years in the approved status and start by the later of three 120‑day deadlines. The bill would require written job agreements stating maximum on‑call hours and pay, malpractice coverage or premiums, and all work locations, and would ba…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5526: Agricultural Act of 2026
- 119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-s-1677: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act
- 119-s-1289: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act
- 119-s-1547: America the Beautiful Act
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.

## Sources
- [119-s-709 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/709)

## Related
- [119-s-5526: Agricultural Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5526)
- [119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1816)
- [119-s-1677: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1677)
- [119-s-1289: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1289)
- [119-s-1547: America the Beautiful Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1547)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-709 (as of 2026-10-10).