Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2025

House Bill

H.R. 4002

119th Congress

Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Jun 12, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Markwayne Mullin

Senator

Republican

OK

Cosponsors

22

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Science, Technology, Communications

Summary

This bill aims to address the financial instability faced by graduate and postdoctoral researchers in the United States. It requires the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop guidelines for federal agencies to improve the compensation and benefits for these researchers, including increasing stipends to match cost-of-living adjustments, providing better health care and affordable housing options.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

SponsorMarkwayne Mullin (R-OK)

Introduced6/12/2025

StatusReferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2025

This bill aims to address the financial instability faced by graduate and postdoctoral researchers in the United States. It requires the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop guidelines for federal agencies to improve the compensatio

Community Breakdown

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This bill aims to address the financial instability faced by graduate and postdoctoral researchers in the United States. It requires the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop guidelines for federal agencies to improve the compensation and benefits for these researchers, including increasing stipends to match cost-of-living adjustments, providing better health care and affordable housing options.

Bill Number: 4002
Sponsor: Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)
Introduced: 6/12/2025
Status: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means
Policy Area: Science, Technology, Communications

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2025
Bill Number: 4002
Sponsor: Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)
Status: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means
Introduced: 6/12/2025
Summary: This bill aims to address the financial instability faced by graduate and postdoctoral researchers in the United States. It requires the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop guidelines for federal agencies to improve the compensation and benefits for these researchers, in

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill aims to address the financial instability faced by graduate and postdoctoral researchers in the United States. It requires the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop guidelines for federal agencies to improve the compensation and benefits for these researchers, including increasing stipends to match cost-of-living adjustments, providing better health care and affordable housing options.

Last updated: 12/30/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Relieving Economic Strain to Enhance American Resilience and Competitiveness in Higher Education and Research Act or the RESEARCHER Act This bill requires executive guidance and policy changes with respect to the compensation and benefits afforded to graduate and postdoctoral researchers.Specifically, the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy must develop a set of policy guidelines for federal agencies to address the financial instability of graduate and postdoctoral researchers. The guidelines must address certain issues, including stipends that are appropriately indexed to cost-of-living adjustments, health care benefits, and affordable housing and child care. Federal agencies must develop policies that are consistent with such guidelines within six months of the guidelines' issuance.Additionally, the National Science Foundation must (1) provide awards to institutions of higher education or nonprofits to collect data on the financial instability of graduate and postdoctoral researchers, and (2) contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to report on stipends for graduate and postdoctoral researchers relative to their cost-of-living expenses.The Government Accountability Office must report on the implementation of relevant policy changes.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Requires the White House to develop guidelines for federal agencies to improve compensation and benefits for graduate and postdoctoral researchers
Agencies must implement policies consistent with the guidelines within 6 months, addressing issues like stipend levels, health care, and affordable housing
Directs the National Science Foundation to collect data on financial instability and report on stipend levels compared to cost of living
Requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the implementation of the relevant policy changes

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

If this bill becomes law, it would directly impact graduate students and postdoctoral researchers across the United States, helping to alleviate the financial challenges they often face. This could improve their quality of life, reduce stress, and potentially make these academic paths more accessible and appealing to a wider range of students. The improved compensation and benefits could also help attract and retain top talent in critical scientific and research fields, benefiting the United States' global competitiveness in innovation and technology.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Science, Technology, Communications

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

4002, 119th Congress (2025). "Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-4002