Capital Needs of Rural and Frontier Hospitals

Expanded the list of House co-sponsors to include Bird, Brown, Duran, Hamrick, McCluskie, Paschal, Rutinel, Stewart K., Titone, and Velasco.

Added Senate co-sponsors Amabile, Bridges, Catlin, Cutter, Daugherty, Exum, Frizell, Jodeh, Kipp, Liston, Marchman, Michaelson Jenet, Mullica, Pelton B., Snyder, Wallace, Weissman, and Winter F.

Updated document headers to reflect 'Rerevised' status with all Second House amendments included, replacing the 'Preamended' version.

Removed the 'Preamended' label and 'Unofficial Version' disclaimer that indicated committee amendments not yet adopted.

Reorganized bill text formatting and removed some intermediate sections, streamlining the document structure.

Definitions were reorganized and renamed: 'Cash Fund' was removed, 'Frontier Area' now refers to counties with 6 or fewer individuals per square mile, 'Rural and Frontier Hospital' refers to licensed hospitals operating in rural or frontier areas, and 'Rural Area' refers to areas eligible for federal rural health funding.

New definition added for 'Study' and 'Task Force' to clarify the Rural and Frontier Hospital Capital Needs Study Task Force created under the bill.

The study requirements were renumbered and slightly rephrased to maintain clarity on evaluating capital needs, including measuring code compliance, identifying facility age, estimating project costs, and reviewing other capital needs matters requested by the Task Force.

Reference to the 'Cash Fund' was removed and replaced with clearer language about the study's purpose and the Task Force's role in developing and approving study parameters.

The bill text was reorganized from a final signed format to a preliminary format showing committee amendments and unofficial versions.

Some definition sections were restructured with different numbering and formatting, though the actual definitions appear substantively unchanged.

Task force appointment and meeting requirements were reorganized with slightly different language but similar substantive requirements.

Funding contingency language was restructured but maintains the same requirement that the study depends on available gifts, grants, or donations.

Removed introductory note about bill signing status and legislative history consultation

Adjusted formatting of sponsor names and bill title placement between versions

Minor spacing and indentation changes throughout the statute text

Corrected a typo in subsection 4(a)(I) from 'CAPTTAL' to 'CAPITAL'

Fixed minor spacing inconsistencies in subsection 4(b)(I) and other sections

Task force membership appointment process changed: Governor appoints three members while legislative leaders (Senate President, Speaker, Minority Leaders) each appoint one member, replacing the previous single appointment deadline.

Task force must hold first meeting within two months of all appointments being made, rather than by a fixed October 1, 2025 date.

Task force meeting frequency clarified as at least quarterly after first meeting, with allowance for more frequent meetings if needed.

Added provision that task force may establish reporting frequency requirements for any private sector consulting company it contracts with.

Study completion deadline changed from June 30, 2026 to eighteen months after the task force holds its first meeting.

Added clear definitions for 'frontier area' (population density of six or fewer per square mile) and 'rural area' (eligible for federal rural health funding).

Task force member composition requirements specified more precisely with five distinct categories including one general public member who lives in a rural or frontier area.

Added five new co-sponsors (Bird, Brown, Duran, Hamrick, McCluskie, Paschal, Rutinel, Stewart K., Titone, Velasco) to the House sponsorship list.

Updated the bill summary header to indicate this is the '3rd Reading Unamended' version dated April 30, 2025, replacing the previous introductory version note.

Deleted specific requirements for the task force to estimate total capital needs per facility and aggregate costs, and to review other matters concerning rural and frontier hospital capital needs.

The order of statutory definitions was rearranged, moving 'Cash Fund' to a different position and renumbering subsections (a) through (f) to (a) through (e), though the actual definitions remain the same.

Added a stamp indicating the bill was amended on second reading in the House on April 29, 2025.

Changed the bill header from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' to reflect its current legislative status.