{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://kennedy.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2340", "The Clock is Ticking: Students Have Only a Few Months to Make Grad School Decisions - Kennedy Pushes for Passage of the LEAP Act to Provide Equal Access to Higher Education for In-Demand Professions", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "LA", "John Kennedy", "K000393", "kennedy.house.gov", "kennedy", "https://kennedy.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "The Loan Equity for Advanced Professionals Act Restores Fairness and Financial Parity for all Advanced Degree Students\n\nNew Misguided Policy Created by the Big, Ugly Bill Slashes Amount Many Borrowers Can Receive, Slamming the Door Shut to Professional Advancement\n\nAMHERST, N.Y. \u2013 Joined at Daemen University by educators, professionals, students, and advocates, Congressman Tim Kennedy (NY-26) called for swift passage of his legislation, the Loan Equity for Advanced Professionals (LEAP) Act. With decision time for grad schools coming up in April, Kennedy highlighted the pressing need to provide financial stability and predictability for students seeking advanced degrees. Last week, Kennedy and several colleagues introduced the LEAP Act to rectify a borrowing disparity created by the Republican-led Big, Ugly Bill (H.R. 1). The new legislation aims to restore financial support for advanced degree students, including nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and physicians assistants, whose borrowing limits were significantly reduced while other professional programs remained unaffected. Under Kennedy\u2019s bill, all post-baccalaureate degrees would be eligible to borrow the same $50,000 per year, with a borrowing total of $200,000.\n\n\u201cBecoming an occupational therapist was among the best decisions I ever made,\u201d said Congressman Kennedy. \u201cIt opened new doors for me, changed my worldview, and it\u2019s how I met my wife, a physical therapist. For each of us, access to financing was a challenging burden, but one that we took on knowing that we could make a difference in peoples\u2019 lives. Higher education is about more than just earning potential, it\u2019s about your contribution to the community and helping others. Right now, future grad students are studying their options, figuring out if they can enter the career path they\u2019ve always wanted to. We need to pass the LEAP Act to keep that dream alive for future generations who want to play their part.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe know that one of the biggest barriers to education is financial, and the new limitations on loans will put degree programs out of reach for many. The healthcare graduate programs with new loan restrictions not only prepare students for more responsibility at the bedside, but they are also required to enter Nurse Education. Loan restrictions for advanced healthcare degrees will create new barriers that will limit enrollment and further deepen the healthcare worker shortage, and reduce the number of people qualified to teach healthcare programs,\u201d said Don Fiorilli, Associate Director, 1199SEIU Training & Employment Funds.\n\n\u201cEquitable access to federal student loans is essential if we expect students to pursue advanced degrees in the health professions our communities depend on most,\u201d said D\u2019Youville University President Dr. Lorrie Clemo. \u201cWhen loan limits unfairly restrict fields like nursing, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, we risk worsening workforce shortages at a time when demand is only growing. The LEAP Act restores fairness and ensures that students are not priced out of careers dedicated to caring for others.\u201d\n\n\u201cASHA-certified audiologists and speech-language pathologists in New York thank Rep. Kennedy for his leadership in protecting access to the advanced degrees required to deliver essential communication services,\u201d said Bernadette Mayfield-Clarke, PhD, CCC-SLP, 2025 ASHA President. \u201cDemand for these professionals in New York is projected to grow more than 22% for audiologists and 25% for speech-language pathologists by 2032. Rep. Kennedy\u2019s legislation preserves access to higher federal loan limits, ensuring audiologists and speech-language pathologists can complete their training and meet growing workforce needs statewide.\u201d\n\n\u201cAt Kaleida Health, we are committed to supporting our staff\u2019s career growth. We support the Loan Equity for Advanced Professionals (LEAP) Act and thank Congressman Kennedy for his tireless advocacy for New York State\u2019s healthcare professionals. The LEAP Act will help reduce financial barriers for those seeking advanced healthcare degrees and build a more robust healthcare workforce. It is essential that we continue to provide resources for our dedicated staff to advance in their professions. Not only will these meaningful loans strengthen our workforce, but they will also increase access to high quality health care for patients statewide,\u201d said Don Boyd, President and CEO, Kaleida Health.\n\n\u201cThe LEAP Act is critical legislation to secure the future of our country by ensuring students interested in pursuing graduate degrees in high-demand fields can access the funding necessary to reach their dreams, realize their potential, and support their families and communities with vital services,\u201d said Canisius University President Steve K. Stoute\n\n\u201cI began my career as a registered nurse, and I know firsthand that graduate education is not a luxury in healthcare \u2014 it\u2019s how nurses advance, specialize, and ultimately become the educators who train the next generation,\u201d said Catholic Health CEO Joyce Markiewicz. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to Congressman Kennedy for introducing the LEAP Act, which restores fairness and helps ensure the healthcare professionals our patients rely on can afford the education their careers \u2014 and our communities \u2014 depend on.\u201d\n\nUnder H.R. 1, the Grad PLUS program was eliminated and replaced with a two-tiered system. Beginning in July 2026, so-called \u201cprofessional\u201d degrees will be eligible for borrowing up to $50,000 per year, while \u201cgraduate\u201d degrees will only receive up to $20,500 per year, creating a massive disparity and exacerbating ongoing shortages in critical healthcare and other professional fields. Examples of professional degrees include MDs, JDs, and PharmDs, while graduate degrees include a wide variety of other post-baccalaureate degrees such as nursing, therapy, public health, engineering, teaching, and more. Kennedy, the only occupational therapist in Congress, has heard from a wide range of educators and students who are deeply concerned that their access to their desired field of work is being closed off, threatening to make ongoing professional shortages even worse.\n\nThe changes implemented in H.R. 1 are slated to go into effect on July 1, 2026. Kennedy\u2019s legislation, co-led by Reps. Jill Tokuda (HI-2) and Shomari Figures (AL-2) would have the same effective date, ensuring equal access for medical professional students moving forward.\n\nThis legislation is endorsed by the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers; American Occupational Therapy Association; American Physical Therapy Association; Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health; Council on Social Work Education; National Association of Social Workers; National Board of Certification of Occupational Therapy; National Hispanic Health Foundation; Hispanic Health Professionals Network; National Board for Certified Counselors and Affiliates; Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://kennedy.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2340"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.7496060356497765, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}