H.R. 5104: Respect Graduate Student Workers Act

116th Congress · introduced 2019-11-14 · Labor and Employment · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2019-11-14 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Respect Graduate Student Workers Act

Plain summary

Respect Graduate Student Workers Act This bill prohibits the National Labor Relations Board from finalizing a specified rule or making a similar rule that excludes student workers at private universities from the definition of employee under federal labor laws. (Under current law, students paid for services provided at universities in connection with such students' studies are considered employees.)

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Respect Graduate Student Workers Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] · 29 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Grace Meng (D-NY), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Mark Takano (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Norma J. Torres (D-CA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Darren Soto (D-FL), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] reported raising $1.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr5104.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr5104 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116