# 119-hr-8659: Nursing is a Professional Degree Act

119-hr-8659, Nursing is a Professional Degree Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8659
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8659
- Congress: 119
- Title: Nursing is a Professional Degree Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-04
- Sponsor: Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Explicitly recognizes nursing degrees as professional degrees under the Higher Education Act.** This bill would amend Section 455(a)(4)(C) to replace a prior cross-reference to the Code of Federal Regulations with a statutory, enumerated definition of “professional degree” that lists common degree titles and lets the Secretary of Education add other qualifying degrees. - Nursing students and applicants: Would make degrees like MSN, DNP, DNAP, and Ph.D. in nursing explicit examples of professional degrees for Higher Education Act purposes. - Colleges and nursing programs: Would get a clear, written definition to use when applying federal rules about professional degrees. - Department of Education and the Secretary: Would remove the old CFR cross-reference and give the Secretary authority to determine additional degrees that meet the new statutory definition.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3] (D-OH), 2026-05-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1] (R-MI), 2026-05-04T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Which degrees count for student aid: benefit, low. This bill would change the Higher Education Act definition of "professional degree." It would remove a regulatory cross-reference and add a new statutory definition. A professional degree would have to prepare someone to begin licensed professional practice. It would also have to represent training…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-8659 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8659)

## Related
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4393)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8659 (as of 2026-09-21).