Nursing is a Professional Degree Act

Congress holds the express power to lay and collect taxes to provide for the general welfare of the United States, which authorizes the provision of financial assistance in higher education through statutes such as the Higher Education Act. Amending the definition of a 'professional student' within this Act constitutes a necessary and proper means to execute this spending authority, refining the scope of federal aid without encroaching upon powers reserved to the States, as education remains primarily a local concern best administered by state governments. Such legislative precision ensures th…

The proposed amendment to the Higher Education Act of 1965 seeks to alter federal definitions concerning education, a pursuit nowhere enumerated among the powers delegated to Congress. The Constitution confines federal authority to those objects expressly granted, leaving all else to the States or the people. Education, being a matter of local concern vital to republican virtue, falls squarely within reserved powers. To extend federal intrusion into the internal affairs of learning institutions violates the strict limits of delegated authority and undermines the sovereignty of the States.

The proposed amendment to the Higher Education Act of 1965 alters definitions pertaining to education, a pursuit not enumerated among the powers granted to Congress in Article I, Section 8. Such matters of internal improvement and instruction fall within the reserved powers of the States, as the federal authority is limited to those objects expressly delegated. In Federalist No. 45, it is observed that the powers reserved to the States extend to 'the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State,' encompassing education. To eng…

The Congress possesses ample authority under the Constitution to amend definitions within statutes pertaining to the promotion of education, as such measures fall within the power to lay and collect taxes and provide for the general welfare, and are necessary and proper to execute the enumerated powers. The Higher Education Act, involving federal support for learning, aligns with these principles, and a mere definitional amendment does not exceed constitutional bounds. This Court, in declaring the supremacy of the Constitution, affirms that legislative acts in furtherance of legitimate federal…