I 
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 Assist-
ance 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 Representa-
tives 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’’. 
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SEC. 2. EXPANSION AND CODIFICATION OF THE RURAL 
HEALTH CARE FACILITY TECHNICAL ASSIST-
ANCE 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 as-
sistance to any eligible health care facility, the Secretary 
shall establish, and maintain, directly or by grant, con-
tract, or cooperative agreement, a Rural Health Care Fa-
cility Technical Assistance Program (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Program’’) to provide technical assist-
ance 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 as-
sistance and preparing long-term financial plans; 
and 
(3) identify, and apply for assistance from, loan 
and grant programs of the Department of Agri-
culture for which the facilities are eligible. 
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(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 fa-
cilities; 
(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 bet-
ter access and compete for loans and grants from 
programs administered by the Department of Agri-
culture; 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 SELEC-
TION.—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 Serv-
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ice, 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 eligi-
ble health care facility, and the ability of the el-
igible health care facility to meet debt obliga-
tions; 
(C) the electronic health record implemen-
tation 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 For-
estry of the Senate a written report describing the 
progress and results of the program conducted under this 
section, which should include— 
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(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 pro-
vided; 
(C) a description of the outcomes for com-
pleted 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 Pro-
gram. 
(e) LIMITATIONS
ON AUTHORIZATION
OF APPRO-
PRIATIONS.—To carry out this section, there are author-
ized 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: 
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(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 ‘‘devel-
opment needs’’ includes— 
(A) constructing, expanding, renovating, or 
otherwise modernizing health care facilities; 
(B) increasing telehealth capabilities; 
(C) acquiring or upgrading health care in-
formation 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 serv-
ices 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); 
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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. 
Æ 
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