H.R. 1417 — Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program Act

This section establishes the short title of the Act as the “Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program Act.”

This section establishes a Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program within the Department of Agriculture to provide tailored technical assistance and training to eligible health care facilities in rural areas. As background, the program is designed to help rural facilities identify development needs, improve financial and business management, and apply for Department of Agriculture loans and grants. This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture to prioritize participation by borrowers and grantees of the Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural Utilities Service, and to consider factors such as facility age and physical condition, financial vulnerability, electronic health record needs, location in a health professional shortage area or medically underserved area, and service to medically underserved populations. This section requires the Secretary to submit a report to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees not later than 1 year after enactment and annually thereafter describing each technical assistance project, completed projects, outcomes, program effectiveness, and recommendations for improvement. This section authorizes appropriations of not more than $2 million for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out the program. This section defines “rural area” by reference to 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A) and defines “eligible health care facility” to include 10 types of facilities located in a rural area, including hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, rural emergency hospitals, home health agencies, and community health centers.