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HCR49 • 2026
HIGHER EDUCATION: Memorializes congress to include physical therapy as a professional degree program for purposes of borrowing limits for students seeking federal aid for postsecondary education
HIGHER EDUCATION: Memorializes congress to include physical therapy as a professional degree program for purposes of borrowing limits for students seeking federal aid for postsecondary education
Education
Healthcare
Passed Legislature
This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.
- Sponsor
- Adrian Fisher
- Last action
- 2026-05-26
- Official status
- Pending House concurrence
- Effective date
- Not listed
Plain English Breakdown
The official source material does not provide specific details about the resolution's impact on rural areas or its broader goals for workforce development and healthcare needs.
Including Physical Therapy in Federal Aid Programs
This resolution asks the U.S. Congress to include doctor of physical therapy degrees as a professional program that qualifies for more federal student loans.
What This Bill Does
- Asks Congress to change rules so students can get more federal aid for physical therapy school.
Who It Names or Affects
- Students who want to become physical therapists and need federal aid for their education.
Terms To Know
- Professional degree program
- A type of advanced educational program, such as a doctorate in physical therapy, which prepares students for professional careers.
- Federal student loan access
- The ability to borrow money from the government to pay for college or other postsecondary education.
Limits and Unknowns
- This resolution is not a law and does not create any new rules on its own.
- It's up to Congress if they decide to make changes based on this request.
Amendments
These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.
Plain English: The amendment asks Congress to include doctor of physical therapy and other health-related degrees in the list of professional programs that qualify for higher federal student loan limits.
- Adds Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree to the list of eligible professional degree programs for enhanced federal student aid borrowing limits.
- Includes Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) and post-baccalaureate nursing degrees, including advanced practice registered nursing (APRN) and doctoral nursing degrees, in the list of eligible professional degree programs.
- The exact impact on student borrowing limits is not specified in the amendment text.
Plain English: The amendment modifies a resolution to include additional healthcare degrees in federal student loan borrowing limits for higher education.
- Adds the master of physician assistant studies degree, post-baccalaureate nursing degree (including advanced practice registered nursing and doctoral nursing degrees) to the list of eligible professional degrees for federal aid purposes.
- Expands the term 'physical therapy workforce' to include physical therapists, physician assistants, and nurses.
- Clarifies that restrictions on student loan funding would disproportionately affect Louisiana residents in doctor of physical therapy, master of physician assistant studies, and post-baccalaureate nursing degree programs.
- The exact impact of these changes on federal aid borrowing limits is not detailed in the amendment text.
Bill History
-
2026-05-26
H
Received from the Senate with amendments.
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2026-05-26
S
Senate amendments read and adopted. Read by title and concurred in by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays. Ordered returned to the House.
-
2026-05-26
S
Rules suspended. Called from the Calendar.
-
2026-05-26
S
Read by title and returned to the Calendar, subject to call.
-
2026-05-26
S
Rules suspended.
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2026-05-21
S
Reported favorably.
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2026-05-12
S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Education.
-
2026-05-11
S
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
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2026-05-11
H
Read by title, roll called on final consideration, yeas 91, nays 0. The resolution was adopted and ordered to the Senate.
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2026-05-07
H
Scheduled for floor debate on 05/11/2026.
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2026-04-29
H
Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
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2026-04-28
H
Reported favorably (10-0).
-
2026-04-08
H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Education.
-
2026-04-07
H
Read by title. Lies over under the rules.
Official Summary Text
HIGHER EDUCATION: Memorializes congress to include physical therapy as a professional degree program for purposes of borrowing limits for students seeking federal aid for postsecondary education
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
HLS 26RS-1086 ENGROSSED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 49
BY REPRESENTATIVE FISHER
HIGHER EDUCATION: Memorializes congress to include physical therapy as a
professional degree program for purposes of borrowing limits for students seeking
federal aid for postsecondary education
1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
2 To memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions as are necessary to include
3 the doctor of physical therapy degree within the definition of professional degree
4 programs eligible for enhanced federal student loan access.
5 WHEREAS, the legislature affirms that such designation is essential to enable
6 equitable access to advanced health professional education, particularly for students from
7 rural communities in Louisiana, to support the development and retention of a robust
8 physical therapy workforce necessary to address statewide and rural healthcare needs, to
9 mitigate escalating healthcare costs, and to strengthen statewide public health infrastructure
10 and long term workforce sustainability; and
11 WHEREAS, research shows that healthcare professionals educated locally are
12 significantly more likely to practice in the communities where they are trained; and
13 WHEREAS, restricting access to federal student loan funding for doctor of physical
14 therapy students would disproportionately affect Louisiana residents and further exacerbate
15 rural healthcare shortages.
16 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
17 memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions as are necessary to include the
18 doctor of physical therapy degree within the definition of professional degree programs
19 eligible for enhanced federal student loan access.
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HLS 26RS-1086 ENGROSSED
HCR NO. 49
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
2 presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Congress of the
3 United States of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional delegation.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 49 Engrossed 2026 Regular Session Fisher
Memorializes the U.S. Congress to include the doctor of physical therapy degree within the
definition of professional degree programs eligible for enhanced federal student loan access.
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