Collapse to view only § 15902. Demonstration health projects
§ 15901. State capacity building grant program
(a)Definitions.—In this section:
(1)Commission state.—The term “Commission State” means a State that contains 1 or more eligible counties.
(2)Eligible county.—The term “eligible county” means a county described in subchapter II of chapter 157.
(3)Program.—The term “program” means a State capacity building grant program established by a Commission under subsection (b).
(b)Establishment.—Each Commission shall establish a State capacity building grant program to provide grants to Commission States in the area served by the Commission for the purposes described in subsection (c).
(c)Purposes.—The purposes of a program are to support the efforts of the Commission—
(1) to better support business retention and expansion in eligible counties;
(2) to create programs to encourage job creation and workforce development in eligible counties, including projects and activities, in coordination with other relevant Federal agencies, to strengthen the water sector workforce and facilitate the sharing of best practices;
(3) to partner with universities in distressed counties (as designated under section 15702(a)(1))—
(A) to strengthen the capacity in eligible counties to train new professionals in fields for which there is a shortage of workers;
(B) to increase local capacity in eligible counties for project management, project execution, and financial management; and
(C) to leverage funding sources for eligible counties;
(4) to prepare economic and infrastructure plans for eligible counties;
(5) to expand access to high-speed broadband in eligible counties;
(6) to provide technical assistance that results in Commission investments in transportation, water, wastewater, and other critical infrastructure;
(7) to promote workforce development in eligible counties to support resilient infrastructure projects;
(8) to develop initiatives to increase the effectiveness of local development districts in eligible counties; and
(9) to implement new or innovative economic development practices that will better position eligible counties to compete in the global economy.
(d)Use of Funds.—
(1)In general.—Funds from a grant under a program may be used to support a project, program, or related expense of the Commission State in an eligible county.
(2)Limitation.—Funds from a grant under a program shall not be used for—
(A) the purchase of furniture, fixtures, or equipment;
(B) the compensation of—
(i) any State member of the Commission (as described in section 15301(b)(1)(B)); or
(ii) any State alternate member of the Commission (as described in section 15301(b)(2)(B)); or
(C) the cost of supplanting existing State programs.
(e)Annual Work Plan.—
(1)In general.—For each fiscal year, before providing a grant under a program, each Commission State shall provide to the Commission an annual work plan that includes the proposed use of the grant.
(2)Approval.—No grant under a program shall be provided to a Commission State unless the Commission has approved the annual work plan of the State.
(f)Amount of Grant.—
(1)In general.—The amount of a grant provided to a Commission State under a program for a fiscal year shall be based on the proportion that—
(A) the amount paid by the Commission State (including any amounts paid on behalf of the Commission State by a nonprofit organization) for administrative expenses for the applicable fiscal year (as determined under section 15304(c)); bears to
(B) the amount paid by all Commission States served by the Commission (including any amounts paid on behalf of a Commission State by a nonprofit organization) for administrative expenses for that fiscal year (as determined under that section).
(2)Requirement.—To be eligible to receive a grant under a program for a fiscal year, a Commission State (or a nonprofit organization on behalf of the Commission State) shall pay the amount of administrative expenses of the Commission State for the applicable fiscal year (as determined under section 15304(c)).
(3)Approval.—For each fiscal year, a grant provided under a program shall be approved and made available as part of the approval of the annual budget of the Commission.
(g)Grant Availability.—Funds from a grant under a program shall be available only during the fiscal year for which the grant is provided.
(h)Report.—Each fiscal year, each Commission State shall submit to the relevant Commission and make publicly available a report that describes the use of the grant funds and the impact of the program in the Commission State.
(i)Continuation of Program Authority for Northern Border Regional Commission.—With respect to the Northern Border Regional Commission, the program shall be a continuation of the program under section 6304(c) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (40 U.S.C. 15501 note; Public Law 115–334) (as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this section).
(Added Pub. L. 118–272, div. B, title II, § 2248(a), Jan. 4, 2025, 138 Stat. 3205.)
§ 15902. Demonstration health projects
(a)Purpose.—To demonstrate the value of adequate health facilities and services to the economic development of the region, a Commission may make grants for the planning, construction, equipment, and operation of demonstration health, nutrition, and child care projects to serve distressed areas (referred to in this section as a “demonstration health project”), including hospitals, regional health diagnostic and treatment centers, and other facilities and services necessary for the purposes of this section.
(b)Eligible Entities.—An entity eligible to receive a grant under this section is—
(1) an entity described in section 15501(a);
(2) an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)));
(3) a hospital (as defined in section 1861 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x)); or
(4) a critical access hospital (as defined in that section).
(c)Planning Grants.—
(1)In general.—A Commission may make grants for planning expenses necessary for the development and operation of demonstration health projects for the region served by the Commission.
(2)Maximum commission contribution.—The maximum Commission contribution for a demonstration health project that receives a grant under paragraph (1) shall be made in accordance with section 15501(d).
(3)Sources of assistance.—A grant under paragraph (1) may be provided entirely from amounts made available to carry out this section or in combination with amounts provided under other Federal grant programs.
(4)Federal share for grants under other federal grant programs.—Notwithstanding any provision of law limiting the Federal share in other Federal grant programs, amounts made available to carry out this subsection may be used to increase the Federal share of another Federal grant up to the maximum contribution described in paragraph (2).
(d)Construction and Equipment Grants.—
(1)In general.—A grant under this section for construction or equipment of a demonstration health project may be used for—
(A) costs of construction;
(B) the acquisition of privately owned facilities—
(i) not operated for profit; or
(ii) previously operated for profit if the Commission finds that health services would not otherwise be provided in the area served by the facility if the acquisition is not made; and
(C) the acquisition of initial equipment.
(2)Standards for making grants.—A grant under paragraph (1)—
(A) shall be approved in accordance with section 15503; and
(B) shall not be incompatible with the applicable provisions of title VI of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 291 et seq.), the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15001 et seq.), and other laws authorizing grants for the construction of health-related facilities, without regard to any provisions in those laws relating to appropriation authorization ceilings or to allotments among the States.
(3)The maximum Commission contribution for a demonstration health project that receives a grant under paragraph (1) shall be made in accordance with section 15501(d).
(4)Sources of assistance.—A grant under paragraph (1) may be provided entirely from amounts made available to carry out this section or in combination with amounts provided under other Federal grant programs.
(5)Contribution to increased federal share for other federal grants.—Notwithstanding any provision of law limiting the Federal share in another Federal grant program for the construction or equipment of a demonstration health project, amounts made available to carry out this subsection may be used to increase Federal grants for component facilities of a demonstration health project to a maximum of 90 percent of the cost of the facilities.
(e)
(1)In general.—A grant under this section for the operation of a demonstration health project may be used for—
(A) the costs of operation of the facility; and
(B) initial operating costs, including the costs of attracting, training, and retaining qualified personnel.
(2)Standards for making grants.—A grant for the operation of a demonstration health project shall not be made unless the facility funded by the grant is—
(A) publicly owned;
(B) owned by a public or private nonprofit organization;
(C) a private hospital described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code; or
(D) a private hospital that provides a certain amount of uncompensated care, as determined by the Commission, and applies for the grant in partnership with a State, local government, or Indian Tribe.
(3)Maximum commission contribution.—The maximum Commission contribution for a demonstration health project that receives a grant under paragraph (1) shall be made in accordance with section 15501(d).
(4)Sources of assistance.—A grant under paragraph (1) may be provided entirely from amounts made available to carry out this section or in combination with amounts provided under other Federal grant programs for the operation of health-related facilities or the provision of health and child development services, including parts A and B of title IV and title XX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq., 621 et seq., 1397 et seq.).
(5)Federal share.—Notwithstanding any provision of law limiting the Federal share in the other Federal programs described in paragraph (4), amounts made available to carry out this subsection may be used to increase the Federal share of a grant under those programs up to the maximum contribution described in paragraph (3).
(f)Priority Health Programs.—If a Commission elects to make grants under this section, the Commission shall establish specific regional health priorities for such grants that address—
(1) addiction treatment and access to resources helping individuals in recovery;
(2) workforce shortages in the healthcare industry; or
(3) access to services for screening and diagnosing chronic health issues.
(Added Pub. L. 118–272, div. B, title II, § 2248(a), Jan. 4, 2025, 138 Stat. 3207.)