I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5989 

To authorize rural health facilities to use certain Federal agricultural credit 

assistance for the purpose of refinancing debt obligations, updating necessary services, technology, and equipment, and supporting ancillary 

needs. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 19, 2023 

Ms. CARAVEO (for herself, Mr. MOOLENAAR, Mr. MOYLAN, and Ms. SALINAS) 

introduced the following bill 

OCTOBER 25, 2023 

Referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL 

To authorize rural health facilities to use certain Federal 

agricultural credit assistance for the purpose of refinancing debt obligations, updating necessary services, 

technology, and equipment, and supporting ancillary 

needs. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Health Care 

5 Facilities Revitalization Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE FOR DISTRESSED RURAL HEALTH 

2 CARE FACILITIES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle A of the Consolidated 

4 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1922–1936c) 

5 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 310J. ASSISTANCE FOR DISTRESSED RURAL HEALTH 

7 CARE FACILITIES. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A health care facility, including 

9 a hospital, behavioral health facility, health care clinic (in10 cluding a mobile health care clinic), home health agency, 

11 and long-term care facility, in a rural area may use assist12 ance provided under section 306(a) for a community facil13 ity, or under section 310B, to— 

14 ‘‘(1) refinance a debt obligation; 

15 ‘‘(2) update a telehealth, equipment, or online 

16 database; or 

17 ‘‘(3) support ancillary needs, including oper18 ating expenses and reserve funds. 

19 ‘‘(b) LIMITATIONS.—A facility may use assistance 

20 pursuant to subsection (a) only if doing so would— 

21 ‘‘(1) help preserve access to a health service in 

22 a rural community; 

23 ‘‘(2) meaningfully improve the financial position 

24 of the facility; and 


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1 ‘‘(3) otherwise meet the financial feasibility and 

2 security adequacy requirements of the Rural Devel3 opment Agency. 

4 ‘‘(c) WAIVER.—In the case of an application from a 

5 facility referred to in subsection (a) of this section for as6 sistance under section 306(a) for a community facility, or 

7 under section 310B, the Secretary may waive the require8 ment of section 302(a)(1)(D) if the facility that is insol9 vent or located in a persistent poverty area, socially vul10 nerable community (as determined by the Secretary), or 

11 distressed area (as determined by the Secretary). 

12 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

13 ‘‘(1) PERSISTENT POVERTY AREA.—The term 

14 ‘persistent poverty area’ means an area with a pov15 erty rate of 20 percent or more for 4 consecutive 

16 time periods, approximately 10 years apart, span17 ning approximately 30 years. 

18 ‘‘(2) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ 

19 means an area with a population of 50,000 or fewer 

20 inhabitants that is not an urbanized area adjacent 

21 or contiguous to a city with a population of more 

22 than 50,000 inhabitants.’’. 


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1 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

2 subsection (a) shall take effect 6 months after the date 

3 of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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