Rural Health Care Facilities Revitalization Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5989 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.

    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 ``Rural Health Care Facilities 
Revitalization Act''.

SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE FOR DISTRESSED RURAL HEALTH CARE FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1922-1936c) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

``SEC. 310J. ASSISTANCE FOR DISTRESSED RURAL HEALTH CARE FACILITIES.

    ``(a) In General.--A health care facility, including a hospital, 
behavioral health facility, health care clinic (including a mobile 
health care clinic), home health agency, and long-term care facility, 
in a rural area may use assistance provided under section 306(a) for a 
community facility, or under section 310B, to--
            ``(1) refinance a debt obligation;
            ``(2) update a telehealth, equipment, or online database; 
        or
            ``(3) support ancillary needs, including operating expenses 
        and reserve funds.
    ``(b) Limitations.--A facility may use assistance pursuant to 
subsection (a) only if doing so would--
            ``(1) help preserve access to a health service in a rural 
        community;
            ``(2) meaningfully improve the financial position of the 
        facility; and
            ``(3) otherwise meet the financial feasibility and security 
        adequacy requirements of the Rural Development Agency.
    ``(c) Waiver.--In the case of an application from a facility 
referred to in subsection (a) of this section for assistance under 
section 306(a) for a community facility, or under section 310B, the 
Secretary may waive the requirement of section 302(a)(1)(D) if the 
facility that is insolvent or located in a persistent poverty area, 
socially vulnerable community (as determined by the Secretary), or 
distressed area (as determined by the Secretary).
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Persistent poverty area.--The term `persistent 
        poverty area' means an area with a poverty rate of 20 percent 
        or more for 4 consecutive time periods, approximately 10 years 
        apart, spanning approximately 30 years.
            ``(2) Rural area.--The term `rural area' means an area with 
        a population of 50,000 or fewer inhabitants that is not an 
        urbanized area adjacent or contiguous to a city with a 
        population of more than 50,000 inhabitants.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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