Sponsors (17)
The bill directs significant federal funding to paid training and supports to expand allied, behavioral, and maternal health workforces and improve access for underserved and justice-involved populations, but it increases federal spending, imposes program rules that limit flexibility, and creates administrative burdens that may constrain reach and innovation.
Low-income individuals gain paid training, credentialing, childcare, transportation, stipends, and emergency assistance to enter higher-paying allied and behavioral health careers, increasing income and job prospects.
Pregnant and postpartum people benefit from funding for maternal-health career pathways (doulas, midwives, community health workers), strengthening the maternal health workforce and access to perinatal supports in states that recognize and reimburse these roles.
People with arrest or conviction records receive targeted career pathways, legal assistance, and employer engagement to improve hiring prospects in allied and behavioral health.
Taxpayers fund approximately $435 million per year through 2030 to support the program, increasing federal spending and creating budgetary tradeoffs.
State-by-state variation in recognizing or reimbursing doulas/midwives and in credentialing people with conviction records could limit where projects operate, reducing access for intended beneficiaries in some areas.
Grant preferences for prior grantees and existing partnerships may disadvantage new or smaller applicants, limiting competition, innovation, and the entry of new service providers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Tightens statutory application requirements for health career-pathway grants to require comprehensive services, credentialing alignment, partnerships, and post-employment supports.
Official title: To provide low-income individuals with opportunities to enter and follow a career pathway in the health professions, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 16, 2025 by Danny K. Davis · Last progress September 16, 2025
Makes changes to the federal grant program that funds career-pathway training into health professions by tightening what applicants must include in grant applications and demonstrations. Starting October 1, 2025, applicants must describe comprehensive career-pathway services (basic education, training, case management, coaching, staff plans, partnerships) and show state credentialing rules and partnerships for certain demonstration projects, plus experience serving low-income people and post-employment supports. The revisions target grants that prepare people for allied and behavioral health jobs and pregnancy/birth/postpartum roles (for example, doulas or midwives), requiring applicants to document licensing/credentialing pathways, employer engagement, labor-market proof-of-concept, and ongoing training and supports after hire.