Grants to State Offices of Rural Health

The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (established under section 912 of this title), shall make grants to each State Office of Rural Health for the purpose of improving health care in rural areas. Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary may not make a grant under subsection (a) unless the State office of rural health involved agrees, with respect to the costs to be incurred in carrying out the purpose described in such subsection, to provide non-Federal contributions toward such costs in an amount equal to $3 for each $1 of Federal funds provided in the grant. The Secretary may waive or reduce the non-Federal contribution if the Secretary determines that requiring matching funds would limit the State office of rural health’s ability to carry out the purpose described in subsection (a). Non-Federal contributions required in paragraph (1) may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, or services. Amounts provided by the Federal Government, or services assisted or subsidized to any significant extent by the Federal Government, may not be included in determining the amount of such non-Federal contributions. Recipients of a grant under subsection (a) shall use the grant funds for purposes of— maintaining within the State office of rural health a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating information on— The Secretary may not make a grant under subsection (a) unless the State involved agrees that, for any fiscal year for which the State office of rural health receives such a grant, the office operated pursuant to subsection (a) of this section will be provided with an annual budget of not less than $150,000. The Secretary may not make a grant under subsection (a) unless the State office of rural health involved agrees that the grant will not be expended— to conduct activities for which Federal funds are expended— Activities for which a State office of rural health may expend a grant under subsection (a) include— The Secretary may impose a limit of no more than 15 percent on indirect costs claimed by the recipient of the grant. The Secretary may not make a grant under subsection (a) unless the State office of rural health involved agrees— The Secretary may not make a grant under subsection (a) unless an application for the grant is submitted to the Secretary and the application is in such form, is made in such manner, and contains such agreements, assurances, and information as the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out such subsection. The Secretary may not make payments under subsection (a) to a State office of rural health for any fiscal year subsequent to the first fiscal year of such payments unless the Secretary determines that, for the immediately preceding fiscal year, the State office of rural health has complied with each of the agreements made by the State office of rural health under this section. For the purpose of making grants under subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated $12,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. Amounts appropriated under paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended.