Rural Health Care Delivery Improvement Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
Rural Health Care Delivery Improvement Act - Declares it to be the purpose of this Act to provide assistance to programs for the delivery of health services in order to increase the availability of health care services to residents of rural areas. Establishes within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, an Office of Rural Health to be headed by a Director appointed by the Secretary. Enumerates the powers of the Director, including (1) the authority to award grants for projects to examine existing models of rural health care delivery, (2) determination their applicability to other rural areas, and (3) assistance in the planning and demonstration of rural health care delivery models. States that in determining the eligibility of any entity for assistance, the Director will consider specified factors, including (1) identification of the demographic and geographic characteristics which categorize an area as rural; (2) emergency medical care components and systems available to meet the special problems of the rural areas; (3) education programs in rural areas, including health and nutrition education; and (4) development of community planning mechanisms so that the communities can develop health care delivery models appropriate to their needs. Directs the Director to: (1) provide liaison among agencies of the Federal Government for the purpose of coordinating health care programs in rural areas, (2) make a periodic evaluation of other Department of Health, Education, and Welfare programs relating to health care in rural areas, and (3) provide technical assistance for the development of rural health care delivery models. Authorizes to be appropriated for grants and contracts year 1974, $100 million for fiscal year 1975, and $125 million for fiscal year 1976. Specifies the terms and conditions under which the Director may approve an application for assistance under this Act. Establishes in the Treasury a rural health care delivery loan guarantee and loan fund to enable the Secretary to discharge his responsibilities under guarantees issued by him and for direct loans to public entities. Authorizes to be appropriated to the fund from time to time such amounts as may be required for the fund. Provides that the Director may make grants to public and nonprofit private entities, may enter into contracts with public and private entities and individuals, and the Secretary may provide loans to public entities, and may provide loan guarantees to private entities and individuals. Establishes a Rural Health Care Advisory Committee which shall advise the Director with respect to overall planning, policies, objectives and priorities for the Office of Rural Health and the general administration of the program created under this Act. Sets forth the composition and compensation of Committee members.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on October 1, 1973. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on October 1, 1973: Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
JAMES HASTINGS (R-NY) introduced it on October 1, 1973. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on October 1, 1973, 19337 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19337 days ago, on October 1, 1973.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers