United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 2 R cosponsors

HR 8659 — Nursing is a Professional Degree Act

Last action — Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced May 04, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 18% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 2 sponsors

    1 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (2 R).

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

The bill amends the definition of a professional degree to include nursing degrees.

This bill aims to formally recognize nursing degrees as professional degrees in the Higher Education Act. It details the types of degrees considered professional, which include advanced nursing degrees.

What this means for you
  • Workers: This means nursing students may receive recognition for their advanced education and training.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

2 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill updates the definition of a professional student to include specific degrees and criteria for professional licensure, with a particular emphasis on nursing degrees.

  • 20 U.S.C. 1087e(a)(4)(C)

    , as defined under section 668.2 of title 34, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this paragraph),

    Removes the reference to the Code of Federal Regulations for defining a professional student.

  • 20 U.S.C. 1087e(a)(4)(C)

    "(iii) Professional degree.--In this paragraph, the term 'professional degree'--" "(I) means a degree that signifies both completion of the academic requirements for beginning practice in a given profession (for which professional licensure is also commonly required) and a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor's degree; and" "(II) includes each of the following degrees: "(aa) Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)." "(bb) Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.)." "(cc) Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)." "(dd) Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.)." "(ee) Law (L.L.B. or J.D.)." "(ff) Medicine (M.D.)." "(gg) Optometry (O.D.)." "(hh) Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy (D.O.)." "(ii) Podiatric Medicine/Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.)." "(jj) Theology/Theological Studies (M.Div. or M.H.L.)." "(kk) Clinical Psychology (Psy.D. or Ph.D.)." "(ll) Nursing (MSN, DNP, DNAP, or Ph.D)." "(mm) Any other degree that meets the requirements of subclause (I), as determined by the Secretary.".

    Introduces a new definition of professional degree that specifies various degrees qualifying as professional degrees, including nursing.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 545 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (1)

Not signed on (545)

545 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 545 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

healthcare education health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HR 8659?
HR 8659 is sponsored by Bergman, Jack (Republican) and Kiggans, Jennifer A. (Republican).
What is the current status of HR 8659?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced May 04, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HR 8659?
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