The Idaho House of Representatives on Wednesday took action to provide legislative oversight on a nearly $200 million federal grant meant to improve rural health care access.
Nearly $200M federal rural health grant in limbo in Idaho Legislature
The money, part of the Rural Health Transformation program, came from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act approved by Congress in July, but the state hasn’t had the ability to spend any of it because the Legislature hasn’t provided the authority to do so yet. Rural hospital leaders have become increasingly concerned the money won’t be awarded as subgrants in time, and the state would have to return the money, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.
House Bill 916 would create a legislative committee to provide oversight on how to spend the $186 million awarded for the first year. Idaho is expected to receive a total of around $930 million over five years.
Bill sponsor Rep. Jordan Redman, a Coeur d’Alene Republican, told House members on the floor that it was the Legislature’s job to decide how to spend the money, not the governor’s or agencies’.
“If we don’t have this committee, the executive branch will simply do our job for us,” he said.
The bill received pushback from a handful of legislators who opposed the acceptance of federal money because of its contribution to the federal budget deficit.
“This was not something that the Idaho Legislature asked for,” Twin Falls Republican Rep. David Leavitt said. “It wasn’t anything that any of us really debated on or even voiced in.”
He said the Legislature should be asking itself how to return the money, rather than how to spend it.
Sandpoint Republican Rep. Mark Sauter spoke in favor of the bill, saying North Idaho has multiple rural hospitals that were struggling financially. He said people in his district already have to drive hours for health care.
House members voted 52-15, with three people absent, to send the bill to the Senate.
The Senate already has a bill, Senate Bill 1264, that would also create a legislative task force to oversee the grant. The bill has been retained on the Senate reading calendar, which postpones a debate and vote, since Feb. 23.
The Senate bill has a requirement that a portion of the committee represent a rural district, but the House bill does not.
The Legislature is nearing the expected end of the legislative session, targeted to be March 27 but it may run longer. The first year’s worth of grant funds must be awarded by Oct. 30, or Idaho may have to return the money to the federal government.
The state budget writers on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee must also vote to provide the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare the authority to spend the federal money. The committee has not yet scheduled when that will happen, but co-Chair Rep. Josh Tanner, an Eagle Republican, previously told the Sun the budget writers were waiting to see what happened with the bills to create oversight before taking that action.
Idaho Capital Sun is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Idaho Capital Sun maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Christina Lords for questions: info@idahocapitalsun.com.