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.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Jackson of Texas (for himself and Ms. Tokuda) introduced …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill expands and codifies the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program, renaming it as the Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program. It requires the Department of Agriculture to provide technical assistance and training to help rural healthcare facilities improve their operations, prevent closures, and access federal loans and grants.
Who Benefits and How
Rural healthcare facilities—including hospitals, critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, and community health centers—benefit by receiving free technical assistance for financial planning, operational improvements, and help applying for USDA loans and grants. Medically underserved communities in rural areas benefit from improved access to healthcare services and reduced risk of facility closures. Priority is given to facilities already receiving assistance from the Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural Utilities Service.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Agriculture takes on new administrative responsibilities to operate the program and submit annual progress reports to Congress. Taxpayers fund the program through authorized appropriations of up to $2 million per year from fiscal years 2026 through 2030 (totaling up to $10 million over 5 years).
Key Provisions
- Expands eligibility from just rural hospitals to 10 types of rural healthcare facilities, including psychiatric hospitals, long-term care hospitals, critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, home health agencies, and community health centers
- Authorizes $2 million annually for fiscal years 2026-2030 to fund the program
- Requires annual reporting to Congress on program progress and outcomes
- Prioritizes facilities in health professional shortage areas, medically underserved areas, and those serving medically underserved populations
- Allows assistance for modernizing facilities, upgrading electronic health records, and expanding telehealth capabilities
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
The bill aims to expand and codify the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program, renaming it as the Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Act may be cited as the Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program Act.
Defined as per section 330(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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