H.R. 6468House119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Rural Residency Planning and Development Act of 2025

Introduced December 4, 2025

AI-Generated Summary

Updated February 10, 2026 at 9:24 AM UTC

The Rural Residency Planning and Development Act of 2025 amends the Public Health Service Act to create grant programs that help set up and expand physician residency training in rural areas. It provides funding for entities such as hospitals, health centers, tribal organizations, and schools to develop new rural residency tracks in primary care, high‑need specialties, and maternal health. The goal is to increase the number of doctors who will practice in rural communities.

Key Provisions

  • Establishes a Rural Residency Planning and Development Program that awards fully funded grants (up to three‑year terms, extendable) to eligible entities to create new rural residency programs or add rural training sites.
  • Specifies eligible program pathways: general primary care and high‑need specialties, maternal health/obstetrics, or other pathways the Secretary approves.
  • Creates a Rural Residency Planning and Development Technical Assistance Program that provides fully funded grants (up to four‑year terms, extendable) to assist grant recipients and prospective applicants.
  • Defines “eligible entity” to include public or private nonprofit/for‑profit organizations, Indian tribes, faith‑based groups, rural hospitals, health clinics, and higher‑education institutions.
  • Defines a “rural residency program” as an accredited residency where residents spend more than 50% of training time in rural areas and are intended to practice there.
  • Authorizes $12.7 million per fiscal year for FY 2026‑2030 to fund these grant programs, with funds available until spent.

Legislative Activity

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HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

December 4, 2025

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

December 4, 2025

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

December 4, 2025

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about H.R. 6468 on the floor

1 Republican
Monica De La Cruz
Rep. Monica De La CruzR-TX-15 · Dec 16, 2025

Under clause 7 of rule XII, sponsors were added to public bills and resolutions, as follows: H.R. 116: Mr. Jack. H.R. 154: Mr. Landsman. H.R. 158: Mr. Landsman. H.R. 220: Ms. Escobar. H.R. 251: Mr.…

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued December 4, 2025

I

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 6468

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 4, 2025

Mrs. Miller of West Virginia (for herself, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Smith of Nebraska, and Mr. Carter of Louisiana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

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 2025.

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 of and potential applicants of the program described in subsection (b).

(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 2026 through 2030.

(2)

Availability

Any amounts appropriated under paragraph (1) shall remain available to the Secretary until expended.

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