PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Jackson, Ronny [R-TX-13] · R–TX
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 19, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.1417 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-18 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
H.R. 1417 would require the Department of Agriculture to maintain a program offering tailored advice and training to eligible rural health care facilities. It would help facilities plan improvements, manage their finances, and apply for department loans and grants. Preventing closures and strengthening rural health care are stated goals, not guaranteed results.
the Secretary shall establish, and maintain, directly or by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, a Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program (in this section referred to as the Program) to provide technical assistance and training, tailored to the capacity and needs of each eligible health care facility
(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 assistance and preparing long-term financial plans; and (3) identify, and apply for assistance from, loan and grant programs of the Department of Agriculture for which the facilities are eligible.
(2) prevent the closure of eligible health care facilities; (3) strengthen the delivery of health care in rural areas;
Section 1 would name the bill the Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program Act.
This Act may be cited as the Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program Act.
The Secretary of Agriculture would have to establish and maintain the program, either directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements. The bill places this authority in lieu of other authority the Secretary may use to provide technical assistance to eligible facilities. The supplied sources do not establish the precise effect on existing authorities or program operations.
In lieu of any other authority under which the Secretary of Agriculture (in this section referred to as the Secretary) may provide technical assistance to any eligible health care facility, the Secretary shall establish, and maintain, directly or by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, a Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program
Eligibility would require a rural location and membership in a listed facility category: hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, long-term care hospitals, critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, religious nonmedical health care institutions, sole community hospitals, rural emergency hospitals, home health agencies, or community health centers. These categories and the meaning of rural area depend on definitions in other laws that are not reproduced in the supplied sources.
(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)).
(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); (C) a long-term care hospital (as defined in section 1861(ccc) of such Act); (D) a critical access hospital (as defined in section 1861(mm)(1) of such Act); (E) a rural health clinic (as defined in section 1861(aa)(2) of such Act); (F) a religious nonmedical health care institution (as defined in section 1861(ss)(1) of such Act); (G) a sole community hospital (as defined in section 1886(d)(5)(C)(iii) of such Act); (H) a rural emergency hospital (as defined in section 1861(kkk)(2) of such Act); (I) a home health agency (as defined in section 1861(o) of such Act); or (J) a community health center (as defined in section 330 of the Public Health Service Act).
The program would provide advice and training tailored to each facility's capacity and needs. Its work would cover plans to maintain essential services and improve operations and quality, financial and business planning, and help identifying and applying for Department of Agriculture loans and grants for which the facility qualifies.
to provide technical assistance 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 assistance and preparing long-term financial plans; and (3) identify, and apply for assistance from, loan and grant programs of the Department of Agriculture for which the facilities are eligible.
Needs addressed by the advice program could include construction and renovation, expanded telehealth capabilities, health information systems such as electronic records, and long-term financial planning. The Secretary could recognize other needs considered critical to maintaining local health care services. This provision defines the subjects of assistance; it does not itself award construction funding.
to provide technical assistance and training, tailored to the capacity and needs of each eligible health care facility
(2) Development needs The term development needs includes— (A) constructing, expanding, renovating, or otherwise modernizing health care facilities; (B) increasing telehealth capabilities; (C) acquiring or upgrading health care information 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 services in the community in which an eligible health care facility is located.
The program's stated goals would include stronger facility finances, more efficient operations, fewer closures, improved rural health care delivery, and better access to department loans and grants. Another goal would be to continue the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program's activities in effect when this subsection is enacted. These are objectives rather than evidence of achieved results.
(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 facilities; (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 better access and compete for loans and grants from programs administered by the Department of Agriculture; and (5) continue the activities of the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program in effect as of the date of the enactment of this subsection.
The Secretary would have to encourage eligible facilities to participate. When selecting participants, the Secretary would have to prioritize borrowers and grant recipients of three department agencies: the Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural Utilities Service.
(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 selection 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 Service, and Rural Utilities Service.
The Secretary could also consider a facility's age and condition, financial vulnerability and ability to meet debt obligations, electronic health record needs, and whether it is located in a health professional shortage area or medically underserved area, or serves a medically underserved population. The Secretary could set additional selection criteria and priorities. These considerations would be optional. The bill incorporates definitions of the three area and population terms from other laws; those definitions are not reproduced in the supplied sources.
The Secretary may also consider— (A) the age and physical state of the health care facility involved; (B) the financial vulnerability of the eligible health care facility, and the ability of the eligible health care facility to meet debt obligations; (C) the electronic health record implementation 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.
(4) Health professional shortage area The term health professional shortage area has the meaning given the term in section 332(a)(1)(A) of the Public Health Service Act. (5) Medically underserved area The term medically underserved area has the meaning 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.
The Secretary would have to report to the House and Senate agriculture committees within one year after enactment and annually afterward. The text says reports should include facility names and locations, assistance provided, completed-project outcomes, costs, summaries, an effectiveness assessment, and recommendations. It makes reporting mandatory but uses “should” for those listed contents.
(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 Forestry of the Senate a written report describing the progress and results of the program conducted under this section, which should include— (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 provided; (C) a description of the outcomes for completed 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 Program.
The bill would authorize Congress to provide up to $2 million for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030. This is permission for future appropriations, not an appropriation that itself supplies the money.
(e) Limitations on authorization of appropriations To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary not more than $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated September 19, 2026, records introduction and referral to the House Committee on Agriculture on February 18, 2025, followed by referral to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development on March 28, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-19T23:23:21Z. 2025-03-28: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development. 2025-02-18: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. 2025-02-18: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-18. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No earmark was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials. The source set does not establish formal earmark status through member requests, disclosures, or committee and conference materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The finding identifies preferential treatment within the program, not a judgment about its justification.
Eligible facilities that borrow from or receive grants from the Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, or Rural Utilities Service would receive mandatory priority for participation. This gives facilities with those agency relationships preferential access to the bill's main assistance program.
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 Service, and Rural Utilities Service.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 19, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI