Minority Fellowship Program Reauthorization Act of 2026

Overview

• Bill: H.R. 9044 (119th Congress, 2nd Session)
• Title: Minority Fellowship Program Reauthorization Act of 2026
• Purpose: To reauthorize the Minority Fellowship Program under title V of the Public Health Service Act.
• Introduced: May 26, 2026 by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (co-sponsor)
• Status: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

What the bill would do

• Reauthorize funding for the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) by amending Section 597(c) of the Public Health Service Act.
• Specifically inserts a new funding window: the bill adds an authorization of $27,000,000 for each fiscal year (FY) 2028 through FY 2032 after the existing language referring to FY 2027.
• This effectively extends the program’s federal funding authorization for five additional fiscal years beyond the current authorization level.

Key provisions and changes

• Funding authorization: $27 million per fiscal year for FY 2028, FY 2029, FY 2030, FY 2031, and FY 2032.
• Legal anchor: The authorization remains within Section 597(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 297ll(c)).
• Scope: The bill continues the federal support mechanism for the Minority Fellowship Program, which supports training and development of minority health professionals (the specific programmatic details are established under the Public Health Service Act’s MFP provisions; this bill focuses on extending funding).

Who is affected

• Beneficiaries: Minority health professionals and trainees who participate in or benefit from the Minority Fellowship Program.
• Federal program administrators: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and related agencies that administer the MFP would continue to implement and allocate the authorized funds.
• Stakeholders: Groups serving minority health professionals, researchers, and institutions that partner with the MFP.

Procedural and timeline aspects

• Next steps: If approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the bill would proceed through committee processes and potentially to the House floor for a vote, and then onward to the Senate.
• Funding timeline: The bill creates a five-year funding authorization period beginning in FY 2028, with annual appropriations of $27 million for each year through FY 2032, effectively reauthorizing the program for that period.

Practical impact

• Stability and continuity: The reauthorization provides long-term funding certainty for the MFP, enabling continued support for minority health professionals.
• Program scope: While the bill specifies funding levels, it does not introduce new programmatic changes beyond extending the authorization period and amount.
• Fiscal context: The $27 million per year is a significant federal investment aimed at workforce development within minority health sectors.

If you’d like, I can add context on how the Minority Fellowship Program operates under the Public Health Service Act or compare this reauthorization to prior funding levels.