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HJR0053 - 104th General Assembly

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HJ0053
LRB104 20367 MST 33822 r
1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

2

WHEREAS, The United States Department of Education has
3
proposed to exclude graduate degrees in nursing, social work,
4
counseling, therapy, education, and allied health professions
5
from the definition of "professional degrees" for federal
6
student loan purposes under regulations implementing the One
7
Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025; and

8

WHEREAS, This proposed federal reclassification would
9
reduce federal student loan limits for students pursuing
10
Master of Social Work (MSW), Doctor of Social Work (DSW),
11
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice
12
(DNP), master's degrees in counseling and therapy, Doctor of
13
Physical Therapy (DPT), master's and doctoral degrees in
14
occupational therapy, master's degrees in speech-language
15
pathology, Doctor of Audiology (AuD), Master of Physician
16
Assistant Studies, Master of Public Health (MPH), Doctor of
17
Public Health (DrPH), master's degrees in education, and other
18
essential health and human services credentials; and

19

WHEREAS, The proposed reclassification would reduce annual
20
federal student loan limits and lifetime limits for students
21
in these programs; and

22

WHEREAS, This reduction may not cover the full cost of

HJ0053
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LRB104 20367 MST 33822 r
1
graduate education for many students pursuing careers in
2
health and human services, potentially forcing them to rely on
3
higher-cost private loans or forgo graduate education
4
entirely; and

5

WHEREAS, Illinois is home to tens of thousands of licensed
6
professionals in nursing, social work, counseling, therapy,
7
physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language
8
pathology, audiology, public health, physician assistant
9
practice, and education who hold or require these graduate
10
credentials; and

11

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois requires professional
12
licensure for these practitioners, including Licensed Clinical
13
Social Workers (LCSW), Licensed Social Workers (LSW), Advanced
14
Practice Registered Nurses (APRN), Licensed Clinical
15
Professional Counselors (LCPC), Licensed Professional
16
Counselors (LPC), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists
17
(LMFT), Physical Therapists (PT), Occupational Therapists
18
(OT), Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP), Audiologists,
19
Physician Assistants (PA), and Professional Educator Licenses
20
(PEL); and

21

WHEREAS, These professions require rigorous academic
22
preparation, including advanced graduate education, supervised
23
clinical practice, comprehensive examinations, and ongoing

HJ0053
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LRB104 20367 MST 33822 r
1
continuing education to maintain licensure; and

2

WHEREAS, Illinois law recognizes these practitioners as
3
professionals under the Illinois Compiled Statutes, including
4
the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act (225
5
ILCS 20/), the Nurse Practice Act (225 ILCS 65/), the
6
Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor
7
Licensing and Practice Act (225 ILCS 107/), the Illinois
8
Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Act (225 ILCS 55/), the
9
Illinois Physical Therapy Act (225 ILCS 90/), the Illinois
10
Occupational Therapy Practice Act (225 ILCS 75/), and other
11
professional licensing statutes; and

12

WHEREAS, These professionals provide essential services to
13
Illinois residents, including mental health counseling,
14
substance abuse treatment, child welfare services, medical
15
social work, acute and primary healthcare, rehabilitation
16
therapy, speech and language services, public health
17
interventions, and educational support; and

18

WHEREAS, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects
19
approximately 74,000 openings for social workers annually over
20
the next decade nationwide, highlighting critical workforce
21
shortages, with similar shortages documented across
22
counseling, therapy, and allied health professions; and

HJ0053
- 4 -
LRB104 20367 MST 33822 r
1

WHEREAS, According to data from the U.S. Department of
2
Health and Human Services and the Health Resources and
3
Services Administration, the United States currently faces a
4
shortage of approximately 295,800 registered nurses as of
5
2025, with projections indicating continued deficits through
6
2037; and

7

WHEREAS, The proposed federal reclassification will
8
disproportionately impact women, who comprise between 75-85%
9
of students and practitioners in these fields, and will create
10
barriers for first-generation college students, low-income
11
students, and students from underrepresented communities who
12
rely on federal student loans to finance graduate education;
13
and

14

WHEREAS, Communities throughout Illinois, particularly
15
rural areas, low-income neighborhoods, and underserved urban
16
communities, depend on these professionals for access to
17
healthcare, mental health services, child welfare, education,
18
and social support; and

19

WHEREAS, The economic contributions of these professions
20
to Illinois are substantial, with licensed professionals in
21
nursing, social work, counseling, therapy, and allied health
22
fields generating billions of dollars in economic activity
23
annually while serving vulnerable populations and preventing

HJ0053
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LRB104 20367 MST 33822 r
1
more costly interventions; and

2

WHEREAS, The proposed federal reclassification contradicts
3
Illinois' longstanding recognition of these practitioners as
4
licensed professionals who meet rigorous educational,
5
clinical, and ethical standards; and

6

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a compelling interest
7
in ensuring adequate access to affordable graduate education
8
for health and human services professionals in order to meet
9
the healthcare, mental health, child welfare, educational, and
10
social service needs of Illinois residents; and

11

WHEREAS, Illinois must take proactive steps to protect its
12
health and human services workforce from federal policies that
13
threaten to reduce access to these essential professions;
14
therefore, be it

15

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
16
HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
17
SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we believe that nursing, social
18
work, professional counseling, marriage and family therapy,
19
physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language
20
pathology, audiology, physician assistant practice, public
21
health, and education are professional disciplines that
22
require advanced graduate education, professional licensure,

HJ0053
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LRB104 20367 MST 33822 r
1
and adherence to rigorous ethical and clinical standards; and
2
be it further

3

RESOLVED, That we believe the following graduate degrees
4
are professional degrees requiring advanced professional
5
education and leading to professional licensure:
6

(a) Social Work: Master of Social Work (MSW), Doctor
7

of Social Work (DSW), Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work
8

(PhD);
9

(b) Nursing: Master of Science in Nursing (MSN),
10

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Advanced Practice
11

Registered Nurse (APRN) specialty degrees;
12

(c) Counseling and Therapy: master's degrees in
13

Clinical Mental Health Counseling, master's degrees in
14

Counseling Psychology, master's degrees in Rehabilitation
15

Counseling, master's degrees in Marriage and Family
16

Therapy, other counseling degrees leading to Licensed
17

Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical
18

Professional Counselor (LCPC), or Licensed Marriage and
19

Family Therapist (LMFT) licensure;
20

(d) Physical Therapy: Doctor of Physical Therapy
21

(DPT);
22

(e) Occupational Therapy: Master of Occupational
23

Therapy (MOT), Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD);
24

(f) Speech-Language Pathology: Master of Science in
25

Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP), Master of Arts in

HJ0053
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LRB104 20367 MST 33822 r
1

Speech-Language Pathology (MA-SLP);
2

(g) Audiology: Doctor of Audiology (AuD);
3

(h) Physician Assistant: Master of Physician Assistant
4

Studies (MPAS), Master of Medical Science - Physician
5

Assistant (MMS-PA);
6

(i) Public Health: Master of Public Health (MPH),
7

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH); and
8

(j) Education: master's degrees in Education, master's
9

degrees in Teaching, master's degrees in School Social
10

Work, master's degrees in School Counseling, master's
11

degrees in Educational Leadership, other graduate
12

education degrees leading to Professional Educator License
13

(PEL) endorsements; and be it further

14

RESOLVED, That any state agency, public university, or
15
entity receiving state funds should take all necessary steps
16
to avoid discrimination against individuals holding these
17
graduate degrees in hiring, promotion, compensation,
18
professional development funding, or other terms and
19
conditions of employment based on any federal student loan
20
classification; and be it further

21

RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Department of
22
Education to include all graduate degrees in nursing, social
23
work, counseling, therapy, physical therapy, occupational
24
therapy, speech-language pathology, audiology, physician

HJ0053
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LRB104 20367 MST 33822 r
1
assistant practice, public health, and education in its
2
definition of "professional degrees" for federal student loan
3
purposes; and be it further

4

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Congressional
5
Delegation to advocate for legislation to ensure that graduate
6
students in all health and human services professions have
7
access to adequate federal student loan funding to complete
8
their professional education; and be it further

9

RESOLVED, That we commit to exploring state-level
10
solutions to support graduate education in health and human
11
services professions, including but not limited to
12
scholarships, grants, loan repayment assistance programs, and
13
other workforce development initiatives; and be it further

14

RESOLVED, That we express our support for the licensed
15
health and human services professionals in Illinois who serve
16
our most vulnerable populations with skill, compassion, and
17
unwavering commitment to the public good; and be it further

18

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
19
delivered to Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Board of
20
Higher Education, the Illinois Department of Financial and
21
Professional Regulation, the American Nurses Association -
22
Illinois, the Illinois Nurses Association, the National

HJ0053
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LRB104 20367 MST 33822 r
1
Association of Social Workers - Illinois Chapter, and the
2
Illinois Federation of Teachers.

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