Representative Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) introduced the Clock Hour Program Student Protection Act (H.R. 7810) on March 22. The bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to protect the prevailing clock hour standard that allows federal student loan programs to cover up to 150% of training hours above state minimum standards.

States implement their own licensure requirements, often using minimum clock hours for allied health professionals. A finalized rule, published by the Department of Education, would disqualify students from receiving federal aid for for-profit education programs if the required training time exceeds the state minimum clock hours. As a result, these programs will need to redesign and recertify their curriculum, or students will need to pay for their education entirely out-of-pocket. This would negatively impact students enrolled in for-profit vocational nursing programs in states that have minimum training hour requirements.

If your state uses a minimum clock hour requirement, this may impact the availability of LVNs and LPNs. For questions about H.R. 7810 or to discuss the finalized rule, please contact Nicole Howell at nhowell@leadingage.org.