[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1417 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1417
To expand and codify the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program of
the Department of Agriculture and rename it as the Rural Health Care
Facility Technical Assistance Program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 18, 2025
Mr. Jackson of Texas (for himself and Ms. Tokuda) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To expand and codify the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program of
the Department of Agriculture and rename it as the Rural Health Care
Facility Technical Assistance Program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Health Care Facility Technical
Assistance Program Act''.
SEC. 2. EXPANSION AND CODIFICATION OF THE RURAL HEALTH CARE FACILITY
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE.
(a) In General.--In lieu of any other authority under which the
Secretary of Agriculture (in this section referred to as the
``Secretary'') may provide technical assistance to any eligible health
care facility, the Secretary shall establish, and maintain, directly or
by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, a Rural Health Care
Facility Technical Assistance Program (in this section referred to as
the ``Program'') to provide technical assistance and training, tailored
to the capacity and needs of each eligible health care facility, to
help eligible health care facilities in rural areas--
(1) identify development needs for maintaining essential
health care services, and support action plans for operational
and quality improvement projects to meet the development needs;
(2) better manage their financial and business strategies,
including providing financial planning assistance and preparing
long-term financial plans; and
(3) identify, and apply for assistance from, loan and grant
programs of the Department of Agriculture for which the
facilities are eligible.
(b) Goals.--The goals of the Program shall be to--
(1) improve the long-term financial position and
operational efficiency of the eligible health care facilities;
(2) prevent the closure of eligible health care facilities;
(3) strengthen the delivery of health care in rural areas;
(4) help eligible rural health care facilities better
access and compete for loans and grants from programs
administered by the Department of Agriculture; and
(5) continue the activities of the Rural Hospital Technical
Assistance Program in effect as of the date of the enactment of
this subsection.
(c) Program Participation.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall engage in outreach and
engagement strategies to encourage eligible health care
facilities to participate in the Program.
(2) Eligible health care facility selection.--In selecting
eligible health care facilities to participate in the Program,
the Secretary shall give priority to borrowers and grantees of
the Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service,
and Rural Utilities Service. The Secretary may also consider--
(A) the age and physical state of the health care
facility involved;
(B) the financial vulnerability of the eligible
health care facility, and the ability of the eligible
health care facility to meet debt obligations;
(C) the electronic health record implementation
needs of the health care facility;
(D) whether the eligible health care facility is
located in a health professional shortage area or a
medically underserved area;
(E) whether the eligible health care facility
serves a medically underserved population; and
(F) such other criteria and priorities as are
determined by the Secretary.
(d) Reporting Requirements.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry of the Senate a written report describing the progress and
results of the program conducted under this section, which should
include--
(1) a brief description of each project to provide
technical assistance to an eligible health care facility under
this section, including--
(A) the name and location of the facility;
(B) a description of the assistance provided;
(C) a description of the outcomes for completed
projects;
(D) the cost of the technical assistance; and
(E) any other information the Secretary deems
appropriate;
(2) a summary of the technical assistance projects
completed;
(3) a summary of the outcomes of the technical assistance
projects;
(4) an assessment of the effectiveness of the Program; and
(5) recommendations for improving the Program.
(e) Limitations on Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out
this section, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary
not more than $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Rural area.--The term ``rural area'' has the meaning
given the term in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated
Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)).
(2) Development needs.--The term ``development needs''
includes--
(A) constructing, expanding, renovating, or
otherwise modernizing health care facilities;
(B) increasing telehealth capabilities;
(C) acquiring or upgrading health care information
systems such as electronic health records;
(D) providing financial planning assistance and
preparing long-term financial plan; and
(E) such other needs as the Secretary deems
critical to maintaining health care services in the
community in which an eligible health care facility is
located.
(3) Eligible health care facility.--The term ``eligible
health care facility'' means a facility that is located in a
rural area and is--
(A) a hospital (as defined in section 1861(e) of
the Social Security Act);
(B) a psychiatric hospital (as defined in section
1861(f) of such Act);
(C) a long-term care hospital (as defined in
section 1861(ccc) of such Act);
(D) a critical access hospital (as defined in
section 1861(mm)(1) of such Act);
(E) a rural health clinic (as defined in section
1861(aa)(2) of such Act);
(F) a religious nonmedical health care institution
(as defined in section 1861(ss)(1) of such Act);
(G) a sole community hospital (as defined in
section 1886(d)(5)(C)(iii) of such Act);
(H) a rural emergency hospital (as defined in
section 1861(kkk)(2) of such Act);
(I) a home health agency (as defined in section
1861(o) of such Act); or
(J) a community health center (as defined in
section 330 of the Public Health Service Act).
(4) Health professional shortage area.--The term ``health
professional shortage area'' has the meaning given the term in
section 332(a)(1)(A) of the Public Health Service Act.
(5) Medically underserved area.--The term ``medically
underserved area'' has the meaning given the term in section
330I(a)(5) of the Public Health Service Act.
(6) Medically underserved population.--The term ``medically
underserved population'' has the meaning given the term in
section 330(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act.
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