RURAL HEALTH TRANSFORMATION – Adds to existing law to establish the Idaho Rural Health Transformation Fund and the Rural Health Transformation Committee.

LEGISLATURE
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IDAHO
Sixty-eighth
Legislature
Second
Regular
Session
-
2026
IN
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE
BILL
NO.
916
BY
WAYS
AND
MEANS
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
RURAL
HEALTH
TRANSFORMATION;
AMENDING
TITLE
56,
IDAHO
CODE,
BY
2
THE
ADDITION
OF
A
NEW
CHAPTER
25,
TITLE
56,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
ESTABLISH
3
THE
IDAHO
RURAL
HEALTH
TRANSFORMATION
FUND
AND
TO
ESTABLISH
THE
RURAL
4
HEALTH
TRANSFORMATION
COMMITTEE;
AND
DECLARING
AN
EMERGENCY.
5
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
6
SECTION
1.
That
Title
56,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
hereby
amended
7
by
the
addition
thereto
of
a
NEW
CHAPTER
,
to
be
known
and
designated
as
Chap
-
8
ter
25,
Title
56,
Idaho
Code,
and
to
read
as
follows:
9
CHAPTER
25
10
IDAHO
RURAL
HEALTH
TRANSFORMATION
PROGRAM
1
1
56
-
2501.
IDAHO
RURAL
HEALTH
TRANSFORMATION
FUND.
(1)
There
is
hereby
12
created
and
established
in
the
state
treasury
the
Idaho
rural
health
trans
-
13
formation
fund.
The
fund
shall
consist
of
moneys
received
by
the
state
of
14
Idaho
from
the
federal
rural
health
transformation
program
grant.
Moneys
in
15
the
fund
shall
be
used
solely
for
federally
approved
rural
health
transfor
-
16
mation
program
purposes,
subject
to
appropriation
by
the
legislature
upon
17
recommendation
from
the
rural
health
transformation
committee
as
estab
-
18
lished
in
section
56
-
2502,
Idaho
Code.
19
(2)
The
Idaho
rural
health
transformation
fund
shall
be
subject
to
an
-
20
nual
public
reporting
of
all
receipts
and
expenditures.
21
56
-
2502.
RURAL
HEALTH
TRANSFORMATION
COMMITTEE.
(1)
There
is
hereby
22
created
the
rural
health
transformation
committee,
hereafter
referred
to
as
23
the
committee.
The
committee
shall
consist
of
nine
(9)
members
to
be
ap
-
24
pointed
as
follows:
four
(4)
members
of
the
senate
shall
be
appointed
by
25
the
president
pro
tempore
of
the
senate,
one
(1)
of
whom
shall
be
cochair
of
26
the
committee;
four
(4)
members
of
the
house
of
representatives
shall
be
ap
-
27
pointed
by
the
speaker
of
the
house
of
representatives,
one
(1)
of
whom
shall
28
be
cochair
of
the
committee;
and
one
(1)
nonvoting
member
shall
be
selected
29
by
the
governor.
The
term
of
a
legislative
member
of
the
committee
shall
co
-
30
incide
with
the
term
of
election
to
the
legislature.
A
vacancy
during
the
31
term
of
a
member
of
the
committee
shall
be
filled
by
the
appointing
authority
32
of
that
member,
and
members
may
be
reappointed
to
a
subsequent
term.
33
(2)
The
committee
shall
have
the
following
powers
and
duties:
34
(a)
To
establish
rules
for
governance
and
operation
of
committee
pro
-
35
ceedings;
36
(b)
To
establish
any
additional
requirements
for
funding
subawards,
37
which
shall
include
application
scoring
rubrics,
for
the
first
award
38
year
and
by
September
30
for
the
four
(4)
remaining
award
years;
39

2
(c)
To
establish
an
expedited
award
review
process
with
the
department
1
of
health
and
welfare
for
funding
subawards.
The
award
review
process
2
shall
align
with
federally
approved
timelines
as
outlined
in
Idaho's
3
rural
health
transformation
plan;
4
(d)
To
receive
no
less
than
quarterly
updates
on
progress
toward
funded
5
projects,
expenditures,
and
outcomes
from
the
department
of
health
and
6
welfare;
7
(e)
To
evaluate
the
potential
and
actual
success
of
programs
funded
8
with
moneys
from
the
Idaho
rural
health
transformation
fund;
9
(f)
To
retain
oversight
of
moneys
in
the
Idaho
rural
health
transforma
-
10
tion
fund;
1
1
(g)
To
require
a
sustainability
plan
for
any
initiative
funded
by
Idaho
12
rural
health
transformation
moneys;
and
13
(h)
To
make
any
recommendations
to
the
legislature
on
the
use
of
funds,
14
as
long
as
recommendations
are
within
the
parameters
of
the
federally
15
approved
Idaho
plan.
16
(3)
The
committee
shall
remain
active
until
all
moneys
in
the
Idaho
ru
-
17
ral
transformation
fund
have
been
appropriated
and
expended.
18
SECTION
2.
An
emergency
existing
therefor,
which
emergency
is
hereby
19
declared
to
exist,
this
act
shall
be
in
full
force
and
effect
on
and
after
its
20
passage
and
approval.
21