Sponsors (4)
Creates a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant program to help nonprofit hospitals that operate emergency departments expand, modernize, or streamline ED operations. Grants may pay for hiring and retention, renovations or repurposing of space, equipment, new processes, and staff training, with each grant capped at $500,000 and the program funded at $20 million per year for FY2026–2030. The Secretary of Health and Human Services must administer the grants through HRSA and submit a program effectiveness report within three fiscal years after enactment.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall carry out a program of awarding grants to eligible entities for expanding, modernizing, or streamlining emergency department operations.
Defines “eligible entity” as a health care provider that is a nonprofit organization and, at the time of applying, is already operating an emergency department.
Grant amount limit: the amount of a grant under this section shall not exceed $500,000.
Allowed uses of grant funds include: (1) hiring and retention of individuals to work in the emergency department; (2) optimizing and modernizing ED capacity and improving patient flow by repurposing or renovating hospital spaces, implementing new processes, or purchasing equipment; and (3) triage and other training to increase capacity of existing personnel to improve ED patient care and flow.
The Secretary must submit a report on the effectiveness and impacts of the grant program to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions not later than the end of the third fiscal year beginning after the date of enactment.
Primary effects fall on nonprofit hospitals that operate emergency departments: they become eligible for funding to hire and retain staff, renovate or repurpose space, buy equipment, adopt new processes, and train staff—measures that can improve throughput, reduce wait times, and strengthen emergency care capacity. Health care workers in EDs (nurses, physicians, technicians, administrative staff) could see direct benefits from funded hiring, retention incentives, and training. Patients and local communities may experience improved access and quality of emergency services where grants are awarded. HRSA and HHS will incur administrative responsibilities to design the grant application, award, monitoring, and reporting processes and must produce an effectiveness report within three fiscal years. Fiscal impact is capped by the authorized $20M per year; given the $500K grant cap, that funding would support at most around 40 full-cap awards per year (fewer if awards are smaller). Because the measure authorizes funding rather than appropriates it, actual outlays depend on future appropriations. The absence of specified prioritization criteria may influence which hospitals receive awards and could shape geographic or population impacts based on HRSA implementation choices.
Last progress June 12, 2025 (8 months ago)
Introduced on June 12, 2025 by Michael Lawler
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.