---

By Marisa James, Chief Executive Officer, and Mark Spence, Director of Strategic Initiatives

Over the past several years, NAACLS has continued to monitor legislative developments affecting accreditation and the clinical laboratory workforce while actively engaging in advocacy efforts that support our programs and profession. In addition to the advocacy NAACLS has undertaken, there are opportunities for members of our community to participate as well.

Workforce and Program Advocacy

Strengthening the clinical laboratory workforce remains a key priority in the NAACLS Strategic Plan. NAACLS has worked with professional societies, coalitions, and policymakers to support initiatives that expand educational opportunities and address workforce shortages.

In September 2025, Representatives Deborah Ross (D-NC) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA) introduced the bipartisan bill Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act (H.R. 5444).

The bill would:

• include laboratory professionals in the National Health Service Corps
• provide scholarships and loan repayment assistance for laboratory professionals
• allocate $25 million to support accredited laboratory education programs

NAACLS co-signed a letter in support of the bill coordinated by the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS).

If you want more information about the opportunities available to help educate your local lawmakers about the benefits of this proposed bill, we encourage you to visit the ASCLS Labvocate page. Labvocate includes resources on staying up to date on this bill and other workforce-related legislation. Additionally, it provides guidance on where to begin with lab advocacy.  

Accreditation Policy Developments

NAACLS is a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA), which provides resources to specialized and programmatic accreditors across higher education. NAACLS engages with ASPA in a variety of ways to stay informed on federal policy proposals that may affect the accredited programs. This includes, but is not limited to, serving on the ASPA Education Policy Committee, attending biannual membership meetings, and participating in regular calls on the rapidly evolving state of federal policy.

The most current federal policy that would directly affect NAACLS-accredited programs is the implementation of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The act established the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) committee. RISE is a negotiated rule-making committee charged with finalizing the details of changes included in OBBBA, including the phasing out of Grad PLUS loans and new annual loan limits for graduate and professional students. The bill currently only defines ‘professional students’ as those pursuing degrees in Medicine, Dentistry, Law, Physical Therapy, and Pharmacy.

OBBBA limits the amount of student loan funds available to students and their parents. These limits are even more challenging for graduate-level students, Pathologists’ Assistant programs, master’s level MLS, and DCLS programs. Limiting access to funds may affect enrollment in these critical disciplines, compounding already dangerous workforce shortage projections.

Since the passage of OBBBA, NAACLS has proactively worked with our colleagues at ASPA to advocate for all graduate-level health professions programs to be included in the regulatory definition of “professional degree programs.” This designation would allow students in these programs to maintain access to higher federal loan limits.

NAACLS and the US Department of Education

Those who follow the news may see regular developments that are tied to the evolving nature of the Department of Education. Many have approached staff asking how USDE decisions affect NAACLS. Like many allied health accreditors, NAACLS is recognized by CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation), not the United States Department of Education (USDE). Programs and institutions accredited by an organization recognized by the USDE have access to federal funds in the form of grants and loans. Because of the access to federal funds, USDE recognition is a prescriptive and rigid process for accreditors, which can result in prescriptive and rigid processes for programs. In the late 1990s, NAACLS chose to pursue CHEA recognition exclusively to maintain flexibility in its standards. CHEA is the only non-governmental higher education organization in the United States that scrutinizes and affirms the quality of regional, faith-based, career-related, and programmatic accrediting organizations. Recognition by CHEA, like accreditation, requires meeting established standards and serves the public by promoting high-quality educational institutions and programs.

Ongoing Advocacy Efforts

Beyond federal legislation, NAACLS has pursued a variety of advocacy initiatives to support laboratory education and workforce development. Key activities include:

• Supporting recognition of the Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS) for high-complexity laboratory director eligibility through comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
• Providing feedback on state laboratory personnel standards and federal workforce classifications, including comments submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Participating in national workforce coalitions focused on strengthening laboratory workforce data and program capacity (https://cola.org/workforce-action-alliance/ and https://www.mphlcoalition.org/).
• Engaging in federal advocacy events, including participation in Labvocate Day and Government Affairs Committee activities.
• Participating in Tomorrow’s Workforce Coalition to expand the use of 529 education savings plans to cover credentialing programs, professional certifications, and occupational licenses.

Value of Accreditation Advocacy Efforts Related to Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) Negotiated Rulemaking

The U.S. Department of Education has convened the AIM committee to develop regulations that realign the criteria for recognizing of accrediting agencies. The goal is to promote high-quality, high value, and affordable education for students, The committee’s negotiations focus on four primary areas: (1) deregulation, (2) student outcomes, (3) merit, and (4) integrity.

The NAACLS Chief Executive Officer recently traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) Capitol Hill Day alongside nine representatives from fellow accrediting agencies. The group met with congressional leaders to highlight the value of accreditation, raise concerns about proposed criteria from the Secretary that fall outside accreditor responsibilities, and discuss barriers to student access.

NAACLS looks forward to future collaborations with partners, policymakers, and accrediting organizations to monitor accreditation and program-related legislation. We will continue to support policies that strengthen laboratory education and address workforce shortages.