Congress·In Committee·S. 4637

Conrad 30 Physician Workforce Optimization Act

Doctor Shortage: Increasing Waivers for Foreign Physicians

May 21·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A senate committee

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee for review. It is considered active, but there are no upcoming votes or hearings scheduled at this time. The bill is waiting for committee members to decide if it should move forward to the full Senate.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Could go either way

The bill has support from both Republicans and Democrats and addresses a popular issue, but immigration-related bills often face delays in the Senate.

Key Points

This bill changes a program that allows foreign doctors to stay in the United States after their training if they agree to work in areas with few doctors. It increases the number of special waivers each state can use from 10 to 15.
It helps foreign physicians who want to stay in America but cannot find a spot in their first-choice state. A new online portal would match these doctors with hospitals in other states that still have openings.
Many rural and poor areas struggle to find enough doctors. By making it easier for foreign-born doctors to stay and work, the bill aims to improve healthcare for people living in these underserved communities.
If passed, the government would set up the new matching system and start a 60-day hiring window before March 1st each year. Employers would have to prove they tried to hire an American doctor first before using this program.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

May 21, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

May 21, 2026

Introduced in Senate

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Conrad 30 Physician Workforce Optimization Act

Bill NumberS 4637

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)

D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.