Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) introduced the Professional Student Degree Act in the House yesterday. The legislation defines what constitutes a professional degree program, and adds to a list of examples of such programs, including “nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, ministry, social work, audiology, physician assistant, public health, business administration and management, accounting, architecture, secondary education, and special education.” ASAHP supports the Professional Student Degree Act.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) set higher loan caps for professional students, and Department of Education negotiated rulemaking reached consensus on a narrow definition of professional students which excludes most allied health programs.

A press release from Rep. Lawler is available here. The bill text is available here.