WASHINGTON, May 19 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley issued the following press release:
Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced a new bill in response to a decision by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) that fails to classify post-baccalaureate nursing degrees as "professional degrees," imposing stricter limits on federal student loans for nurses.
The bipartisan Nursing is a Professional Degree Act provides a simple fix and guarantees nursing students pursuing post-baccalaureate nursing programs can access affordable student loans. More specifically, this bill classifies post-baccalaureate nursing degrees as "professional degrees," which would entitle nurses taking out federal student loans to a cap of $50,000 a...