S. 5232

119 S5232 IS: Rural Residency Planning and Development Act of 2026
 U.S. Senate
 2026-08-04
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 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 5232  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   August 4, 2026   Ms. Smith  (for herself and  Ms. Collins ) 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 authorize rural residency planning and development grant programs, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Rural Residency Planning and Development Act of 2026  .
2.
Rural residency planning and development programs
Title III of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 241 et seq. ) is amended by inserting after section 330A–2 ( 42 U.S.C. 254c–1b ) the following:
330A–3.
Rural residency planning and development program and rural residency planning and development technical assistance program
(a)
Rural residency planning and development program
(1)
Grants
(A)
In general
The Secretary may award grants to eligible entities to establish new rural residency programs (including adding new rural training sites to existing rural track programs).
(B)
Funding
Grants awarded under this subsection may be fully funded at the time of the award.
(C)
Term
The term of a grant under this subsection shall be 3 years and may be extended at the discretion of the Secretary.
(2)
Applications
(A)
In general
To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including a description of the pathway of the rural residency program as described in subparagraph (B).
(B)
Pathway
A pathway of a rural residency program supported under this subsection shall be for—
(i)
general primary care and high-need specialty care, including family medicine, internal medicine, preventive medicine, psychiatry, or general surgery;
(ii)
maternal health and obstetrics, which may be obstetrics and gynecology or family medicine with enhanced obstetrical training; or
(iii)
any other pathway as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(b)
Rural residency planning and development technical assistance program
(1)
Grants
(A)
In general
The Secretary may award grants to eligible entities to provide technical assistance to awardees and potential applicants of the program described in subsection (a).
(B)
Funding
Grants awarded under this subsection may be fully funded at the time of the award.
(C)
Term
The term of a grant under this subsection shall be 4 years and may be extended at the discretion of the Secretary.
(2)
Applications
To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(c)
Definitions
In this section:
(1)
Eligible entity
The term  eligible entity —
(A)
means—
(i)
a domestic public or private nonprofit or for-profit entity; or
(ii)
an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization; and
(B)
may include faith-based or community-based organizations, rural hospitals, rural community-based ambulatory patient care centers (including rural health clinics), health centers operated by an Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, or urban Indian organization, graduate medical education consortiums (including institutions of higher education, such as schools of allopathic medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, or historically Black colleges or universities), or other organizations as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(2)
Rural residency program
The term  rural residency program  means a physician residency program, including a rural track program, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (or a similar body) that—
(A)
trains residents in rural areas (as defined by the Secretary) for more than 50 percent of the total time of their residency; and
(B)
primarily focuses on producing physicians who will practice in rural areas, as defined by the Secretary.
(d)
Authorization of appropriations
(1)
In general
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $12,700,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
(2)
Availability
Amounts appropriated under paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended.
 .