CLINIC Assistance Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9735 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9735

    To amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to
establish a grant program to enable law students to assist participants
 and beneficiaries in certain civil enforcement actions, and for other
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 2026

 Mr. Courtney introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                  Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

    To amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to
establish a grant program to enable law students to assist participants
 and beneficiaries in certain civil enforcement actions, and for other
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Clinics for Law students
Investigating and Navigating Claims Assistance Act'' or the ``CLINIC
Assistance Act''.

SEC. 2. ERISA CLINICS.

    Part 5 of title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974 (29 U.S.C.1131 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:

``SEC. 525. ERISA CLINICS AND PRO BONO PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) Establishment of Grant Program.--The Secretary shall provide
grants to eligible institutions for the purpose of planning,
developing, or operating an attorney-supervised clinical program,
externship, or pro bono program for law students to improve access to
benefits under employee welfare benefit plans.
    ``(b) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--An eligible institution that receives a
        grant under this section may use such grant to support programs
        through which participants and beneficiaries of employee
        welfare benefit plans can receive representation--
                    ``(A) in appeals of benefit denials, including
                through the internal claims procedure and external
                review process of the plan;
                    ``(B) in actions brought under section 502;
                    ``(C) in actions brought against a participant or
                beneficiary by a health care provider or facility
                regarding unpaid out-of-pocket costs; and
                    ``(D) in any other action relating to--
                            ``(i) the enforcement of title I of this
                        Act; and
                            ``(ii) the receipt of benefits under
                        employee welfare benefit plans, as determined
                        by the Secretary.
            ``(2) Supervisory attorneys.--In addition to the uses
        specified in paragraph (1), an eligible institution that
        receives a grant under this section may use a portion of such
        grant to pay the costs of providing an attorney to supervise a
        program supported by such grant.
    ``(c) Eligible Institution.--In this section, the term `eligible
institution' means an accredited law school that is, or is operated by,
an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101(a) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))).
    ``(d) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, an eligible institution shall submit to the Secretary an
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require.
    ``(e) Amount.--The Secretary may not award more than $500,000 to an
eligible institution for any fiscal year.
    ``(f) EBSA Coordination.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall require benefit
        advisors of the Employee Benefits Security Administration of
        the Department of Labor to coordinate with eligible
        institutions operating a program described in subsection (a) to
        assist participants and beneficiaries in challenging denied
        benefit claims.
            ``(2) Information sharing.--Such benefit advisors may
        provide participants and beneficiaries with a list of eligible
        institutions that operate a program described in subsection
        (a).
    ``(g) Consumer Assistance Programs.--A program supported under
subsection (b)(1) may coordinate with, and make referrals to, a State
office of health insurance consumer assistance, health insurance
ombudsman, or other program that carries out the duties described in
section 2793(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-
93(c)).
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated $5,000,000 to carry out this section for each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2030.''.
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