I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6862 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to delay, until July 1, 2030, 
the termination of authority to award certain Federal Direct PLUS 
loans and the implementation of limits on certain loans for graduate 
and professional students enrolled at institutions with certain public 
health designations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 18, 2025 
Mr. HARDER of California introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Education and Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to delay, until 
July 1, 2030, the termination of authority to award 
certain Federal Direct PLUS loans and the implementa-
tion of limits on certain loans for graduate and profes-
sional students enrolled at institutions with certain public 
health designations, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Health Care 
Workforce Pipelines Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF LOANS. 
Section 455(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1087e(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)(C)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Subject to’’ and inserting 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ii) DELAY
OF
TERMINATION
FOR 
GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS 
AT COVERED INSTITUTIONS.— 
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—In the case 
of a graduate or professional student 
enrolled in a program of study at a 
covered institution, clause (i) shall be 
applied by substituting ‘July 1, 2030’ 
for ‘July 1, 2026’. 
‘‘(II) COVERED
INSTITUTION.— 
For purposes of this clause, the term 
‘covered institution’ means an institu-
tion— 
‘‘(aa) that— 
‘‘(AA) is a health pro-
fessions school (as defined in 
section 799B of the Public 
Health 
Service 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 295p)); 
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‘‘(BB) offers a health 
professions program (as de-
fined in section 799B of the 
Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 295p)); or 
‘‘(CC) offers a nursing 
program described in section 
811 of the Public Health 
Service 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
296j); and 
‘‘(bb) that is located within 
100 miles of an area— 
‘‘(AA) 
that 
is 
des-
ignated as a health profes-
sional shortage area under 
section 332(a)(1) of the 
Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 254e(a)(1)); or 
‘‘(BB) that serves a 
medically underserved com-
munity (as defined in sec-
tion 799B of the Public 
Health 
Service 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 295p)).’’; and 
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(2) in paragraph (4), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(D) DELAY OF LOAN LIMITS FOR GRAD-
UATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS AT COV-
ERED INSTITUTIONS.—In the case of a grad-
uate or professional student enrolled in a pro-
gram of study at a covered institution (as such 
term is defined in paragraph (3)(C)(ii)(II))— 
‘‘(i) subparagraph (A) shall be applied 
by substituting ‘July 1, 2030’ for ‘July 1, 
2026’; and 
‘‘(ii) subparagraph (B) shall be ap-
plied by substituting ‘July 1, 2030’ for 
‘July 1, 2026’.’’. 
Æ 
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