Sponsors
The bill funds supported training pathways to bring people with arrest/conviction records into health careers and helps address local staffing shortages, but modest funding, state-level legal barriers, administrative burdens, and grant preferences limit how widely and equitably those benefits will reach.
Low-income people with arrest or conviction records gain access to multi-year training and career pathways in health professions, plus legal assistance and emergency cash supports to remove record-related employment barriers and cover crises during training.
Communities and hospitals benefit from expansion of the health workforce because training is targeted to documented local shortages and to jobs hireable by people with certain records.
Federal funding and technical assistance to WIOA boards, schools, hospitals, FQHCs, tribes, and other eligible entities supports running, evaluating, and scaling model programs and encourages adoption of best practices.
The program is limited by a $10 million FY2026 appropriation, likely funding only a small number of projects and restricting nationwide reach.
People in states without laws or policies allowing credentials or hiring of those with certain records may be excluded from program benefits, creating uneven access across states.
Employers and training providers could face added administrative burden from recruitment, evaluation, legal-assistance coordination, and reporting requirements, increasing costs or discouraging participation.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes HHS grants for multi-year demonstration projects to train and create career pathways in health professions for people with arrest or conviction records.
Introduced September 16, 2025 by Danny K. Davis · Last progress September 16, 2025
Creates a federal grant program that pays eligible organizations to run multi-year demonstration projects that train and create career pathways in health professions for people with arrest or conviction records. Grants require plans showing state policies or laws that permit awarding relevant credentials and licensure to people with such records, and projects must include recruitment, training, post-employment supports, and an evaluation component. The program is run by HHS in consultation with Labor, Education, and the Attorney General and takes effect October 1, 2025.