# 119-hr-8691: Nursing is a Professional Degree Act

119-hr-8691, 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 2026-10-08).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8691
- As of: 2026-10-08
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8691
- Congress: 119
- Title: Nursing is a Professional Degree Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-07
- Sponsor: Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA)
- Cosponsors: 24
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-08

## Summary

**This bill would revise the Higher Education Act to explicitly define which credentials count as a _professional degree_, and it would name nursing graduate degrees as professional degrees.** It removes the old cross-reference to the Code of Federal Regulations and replaces it with a two-part definition. The first part says a professional degree shows completion of academic requirements for beginning practice in a profession that commonly requires licensure and goes beyond a bachelor's degree. The second part lists specific degrees that qualify, including nursing degrees (MSN, DNP, DNAP, or Ph.D.), and lets the Secretary add other degrees that meet the definition. No funding changes, phase-ins, or sunsets are specified.

## Cosponsors (24)

- Del. King-Hinds, Kimberlyn [R-MP-At Large] (R-MP), 2026-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Joyce, David P. [R-OH-14] (R-OH), 2026-05-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1] (R-MI), 2026-05-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2026-05-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] (R-NE), 2026-05-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4] (R-WA), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Rutherford, John H. [R-FL-5] (R-FL), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fine, Randy [R-FL-6] (R-FL), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mackenzie, Ryan [R-PA-7] (R-PA), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wittman, Robert J. [R-VA-1] (R-VA), 2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bresnahan, Robert P. [R-PA-8] (R-PA), 2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] (R-NJ), 2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Elfreth, Sarah [D-MD-3] (D-MD), 2026-06-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kiley, Kevin [I-CA-3] (I-CA), 2026-06-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3] (R-WI), 2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] (D-CA), 2026-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Edwards, Chuck [R-NC-11] (R-NC), 2026-07-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gonzalez, Vicente [D-TX-34] (D-TX), 2026-08-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hageman, Harriet M. [R-WY-At Large] (R-WY), 2026-08-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Downing, Troy [R-MT-2] (R-MT), 2026-09-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Nursing degrees treated as professional: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would change the Higher Education Act definition of “professional degree.” The new definition would require a degree to show completion of training for beginning licensed practice. It would also require a level of professional skill beyond a bachelor’s degree. The proposal woul…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250
- 119-hr-2048: Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act
- 119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-8691 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8691)

## Related
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9250)
- [119-hr-2048: Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2048)
- [119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-979)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8691 (as of 2026-10-08).