Skip to main content
CivicGate

S 403
Introduced Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

Rural Health Focus Act

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an Office of Rural Health, and for other purposes.

Introduced Feb 5, 2025

Latest action (Feb 5, 2025) Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Referred to
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Policy area
Health
Issues
Healthcare

Summary
  • Establishes an Office of Rural Health within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to serve as the primary point of contact on rural health matters.
  • Directs the office to conduct research, develop policies and best practices, and promote programs to improve health care and services in rural areas.
  • Authorizes the office to award and administer grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to support rural health initiatives.
  • Directs the office to identify health care disparities and improve understanding of health challenges in rural populations.
  • Requires coordination with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy to avoid duplication of efforts.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
3 cosponsors

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Cindy Hyde-Smith’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

  • Employer not reported $81,880
  • SEEMANN COMPOSITES $20,300
  • BGR GROUP $7,500
  • HORNE $6,871
  • HOUSEWIFE $6,600

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Cindy Hyde-Smith → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)
  1. Feb 5, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. · senate
  2. Feb 5, 2025 Introduced in Senate

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • HR 403 — Preventing Our Next Natural Disaster Act · Introduced Jan 15, 2025 · Cong. 119 66%
  • HR 44 — Rural 340B Access Act of 2025 · Introduced Jan 3, 2025 · Cong. 119 65%
  • S 750 — Protecting Rural Seniors’ Access to Care Act · Introduced Feb 26, 2025 · Cong. 119 65%
  • HR 3413 — Physician and Patient Safety Act · Introduced May 14, 2025 · Cong. 119 63%
  • HR 772 — Rural ER Access Act · Introduced Jan 28, 2025 · Cong. 119 62%
  • S 521 — Supporting Access to Rural Community Hospitals Act of 2025 · Introduced Feb 11, 2025 · Cong. 119 62%

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 5, 2025

Mrs. Hyde-Smith (for herself and Mr. Merkley) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an Office of Rural Health, and for other purposes.

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 Focus Act”.

SEC. 2. CDC OFFICE OF RURAL HEALTH.

(a) In General.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall establish within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an office to be known as the Office of Rural Health, to be headed by a director selected by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(b) Duties and Authorities.—The duties and authorities of the Director of the Office of Rural Health shall be limited to the following:

(1) Serving as the primary point of contact in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on matters pertaining to rural health.

(2) Assisting the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in conducting, coordinating, and promoting research regarding public health issues affecting rural populations, and in disseminating the results of such research.

(3) Working with all personnel and offices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop, refine, coordinate, and promulgate policies, best practices, lessons learned, and innovative, successful programs to improve care and services (including through telehealth) for rural populations.

(4) Coordinating and supporting rural health research, conducting and supporting educational outreach, and disseminating evidence-based interventions related to health outcomes, access to health care, and lifestyle challenges, to prevent death, disease, injury, and disability, and promote healthy behaviors in rural populations.

(5) Improving the understanding of the health challenges faced by rural populations.

(6) Identifying disparities in the availability of health care and public health interventions for rural populations.

(7) Awarding and administering grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to provide technical assistance and other activities as necessary to support activities related to improving health and health care in rural areas.

(8) Coordinating with the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy of the Health Resources and Services Administration, as needed, to facilitate cooperation on rural health initiatives and avoid duplication of efforts. <all>

Comments

Comments

Loading comments…