Rural Wellness Act

Bill: 119-hr-1906
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13]
Introduced: 2025-03-06
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Latest action: action_date: 2025-03-28
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-03-06
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Rural Wellness Act</strong></p><p>This bill prioritizes behavioral and mental health treatment services under certain rural development grant and loan programs.&nbsp;The bill also reauthorizes through FY2029 the set-asides and prioritizations for substance use disorder treatment services under&nbsp;the Department of Agriculture's (1) Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant&nbsp;Program, (2) Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program, and (3) Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program.</p><p>Under the community facilities program, the bill prioritizes direct loans and grants for the development of behavioral and mental health services facilities, including facilities that provide treatment services. Further, loans and grants provided under the program may be used to develop facilities and systems&nbsp;to provide telehealth services for behavioral and mental health treatment.</p><p>Under the&nbsp;Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program, the bill prioritizes grants for behavioral and mental health education and treatment.</p><p>Under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants Program, the bill includes a 17% set-aside for telemedicine&nbsp;projects that provide substance use disorder treatment services (currently a 20% set-aside).&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1906 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 6, 2025 Ms. Budzinski (for herself, Mr. Finstad , Mr. Davis of North Carolina , and Mr. Taylor ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture A BILL To provide for the prioritization of projects that provide behavioral and mental health treatment services in selecting grantees under certain rural development programs, and extend the substance abuse disorder set-aside and priority under the programs.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Wellness Act . 2. Prioritization of projects that provide behavioral and mental health treatment services in selecting grantees under certain rural development programs; extension of substance use disorder set-aside and priority under the programs Section 6101(a)(1) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (132 Stat. 4726) is amended— (1) by striking 2025 and inserting 2029 ; (2) in subparagraph (A), by striking 20 each place it appears and inserting 17 ; (3) in subparagraph (B)— (A) in clause (ii)— (i) by inserting or (ii) before that receives ; and (ii) by inserting or for behavioral and mental health treatment, respectively before the period; and (B) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii) and inserting after clause (i) the following: (ii) Behavioral and mental health treatment selection priority In selecting recipients of direct loans or grants for the development of essential community facilities under section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act ( 7 U.S.C. 1926(a) ), the Secretary shall give priority to entities eligible for those direct loans or grants— (I) to develop facilities to provide behavioral and mental health services such as— (aa) prevention services; (bb) treatment services; (cc) recovery services; or (dd) any combination of those services; and (II) that employ staff that have appropriate expertise and training in how to identify and treat individuals with behavioral and mental health concerns. ; and (4) by adding at the end the following: (D) Rural health and safety education programs; behavioral and mental health selection priority In making grants under section 502(i) of the Rural Development Act of 1972 ( 7 U.S.C. 2662(i) ), the Secretary shall give priority to an applicant that will use the grant for behavioral and mental health education and treatment. .