Title: State Offices of Rural Health Reauthorization Act of 2018
Policy area: Health

Summary:
State Offices of Rural Health Reauthorization Act of 2018
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize through FY2022 and revise the grant program for state offices of rural health, including to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make the grants, thus removing HHS's discretion to make them.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2278 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2278

  To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to improve 
                      health care in rural areas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 4, 2018

 Mr. Roberts (for himself, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Casey, Mr. 
  Grassley, and Ms. Baldwin) introduced the following bill; which was 
 read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
                              and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to improve 
                      health care in rural areas.

    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 ``State Offices of Rural Health 
Reauthorization Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. STATE OFFICES OF RURAL HEALTH.

    Section 338J of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254r) is 
amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 338J. GRANTS TO STATE OFFICES OF RURAL HEALTH.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of 
the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (established under section 
711 of the Social Security Act), shall make grants to each State Office 
of Rural Health for the purpose of improving health care in rural 
areas.
    ``(b) Requirement of Matching Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary 
        may not make a grant under subsection (a) unless the State 
        office of rural health involved agrees, with respect to the 
        costs to be incurred in carrying out the purpose described in 
        such subsection, to provide non-Federal contributions toward 
        such costs in an amount equal to $3 for each $1 of Federal 
        funds provided in the grant.
            ``(2) Waiver or reduction.--The Secretary may waive or 
        reduce the non-Federal contribution if the Secretary determines 
        that requiring matching funds would limit the State office of 
        rural health's ability to carry out the purpose described in 
        subsection (a).
            ``(3) Determination of amount of non-federal 
        contribution.--Non-Federal contributions required in paragraph 
        (1) may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including 
        plant, equipment, or services. Amounts provided by the Federal 
        Government, or services assisted or subsidized to any 
        significant extent by the Federal Government, may not be 
        included in determining the amount of such non-Federal 
        contributions.
    ``(c) Certain Required Activities.--Recipients of a grant under 
subsection (a) shall use the grant funds for purposes of--
            ``(1) maintaining within the State office of rural health a 
        clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating information on--
                    ``(A) rural health care issues;
                    ``(B) research findings relating to rural health 
                care; and
                    ``(C) innovative approaches to the delivery of 
                health care in rural areas;
            ``(2) coordinating the activities carried out in the State 
        that relate to rural health care, including providing 
        coordination for the purpose of avoiding redundancy in such 
        activities; and
            ``(3) identifying Federal and State programs regarding 
        rural health, and providing technical assistance to public and 
        nonprofit private entities regarding participation in such 
        programs.
    ``(d) Requirement Regarding Annual Budget for Office.--The 
Secretary may not make a grant under subsection (a) unless the State 
involved agrees that, for any fiscal year for which the State office of 
rural health receives such a grant, the office operated pursuant to 
subsection (a) of this section will be provided with an annual budget 
of not less than $150,000.
    ``(e) Certain Uses of Funds.--
            ``(1) Restrictions.--The Secretary may not make a grant 
        under subsection (a) unless the State office of rural health 
        involved agrees that the grant will not be expended--
                    ``(A) to provide health care (including providing 
                cash payments regarding such care);
                    ``(B) to conduct activities for which Federal funds 
                are expended--
                            ``(i) within the State to provide technical 
                        and other nonfinancial assistance under section 
                        330A(f);
                            ``(ii) under a memorandum of agreement 
                        entered into with the State office of rural 
                        health under section 330A(h); or
                            ``(iii) under a grant under section 338I;
                    ``(C) to purchase medical equipment, to purchase 
                ambulances, aircraft, or other vehicles, or to purchase 
                major communications equipment;
                    ``(D) to purchase or improve real property; or
                    ``(E) to carry out any activity regarding a 
                certificate of need.
            ``(2) Authorities.--Activities for which a State office of 
        rural health may expend a grant under subsection (a) include--
                    ``(A) paying the costs of maintaining an office of 
                rural health for purposes of subsection (a);
                    ``(B) subject to paragraph (1)(B)(iii), paying the 
                costs of any activity carried out with respect to 
                recruiting and retaining health professionals to serve 
                in rural areas of the State; and
                    ``(C) providing grants and contracts to public and 
                nonprofit private entities to carry out activities 
                authorized in this section.
            ``(3) Limit on indirect costs.--The Secretary may impose a 
        limit of no more than 15 percent on indirect costs claimed by 
        the recipient of the grant.
    ``(f) Reports.--The Secretary may not make a grant under subsection 
(a) unless the State office of rural health involved agrees--
            ``(1) to submit to the Secretary reports or performance 
        data containing such information as the Secretary may require 
        regarding activities carried out under this section; and
            ``(2) to submit such a report or performance data not later 
        than September 30 of each fiscal year immediately following any 
        fiscal year for which the State office of rural health has 
        received such a grant.
    ``(g) Requirement of Application.--The Secretary may not make a 
grant under subsection (a) unless an application for the grant is 
submitted to the Secretary and the application is in such form, is made 
in such manner, and contains such agreements, assurances, and 
information as the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out 
such subsection.
    ``(h) Noncompliance.--The Secretary may not make payments under 
subsection (a) to a State office of rural health for any fiscal year 
subsequent to the first fiscal year of such payments unless the 
Secretary determines that, for the immediately preceding fiscal year, 
the State office of rural health has complied with each of the 
agreements made by the State office of rural health under this section.
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--For the purpose of making grants under 
        subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated such 
        sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2018 through 
        2022.
            ``(2) Availability.--Amounts appropriated under paragraph 
        (1) shall remain available until expended.''.
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