Montana Advisory & RFI, Michigan's $15M subrecipient list, $10M Kentucky RFP, USASpending Watch
Alaska, North Carolina, and Minnesota legislation movements
In this issue:
Alaska, North Carolina, and Minnesota legislation movements
Montana launches competitive application for the RHTP Center of Excellence Advisory Council
Montana issues RFI on Medicare/Medicaid duals interventions — first signal toward a forthcoming RFP
New Mexico announces May 13 webinar on funding opportunities
Michigan launches dedicated RHTP subrecipients award page w/ $15M appropriated to 6 entities
North Dakota out with $1.7M Behavioral Health Promotion Community Grant RFP
Kentucky publishes RHT $10M Opportunity to Establish or Expand Accredited Dental Hygiene Programs RFA
USASpending posts first material Year 1 outlays for 9 states; West Virginia and Kansas lead the draw
Legislative Watch
Alaska has a sweeping compacts-and-governance bill written to satisfy commitments the state made in its $1.36 billion application to CMS.
Alaska SB281: A sprawling omnibus written explicitly to satisfy commitments Alaska made in its Rural Health Transformation Program application. The bill enrolls Alaska in four interstate licensure compacts — the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, the PA Licensure Compact, the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, and the EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact — and establishes a Rural Health Transformation Program Advisory Council to govern the state’s $272 million Year 1 award. A companion bill, HB352, runs in parallel in the House. SB281 has been referred to Senate Labor & Commerce.
North Carolina H1167, H1146, S915: The House and Senate vehicles for Governor Josh Stein’s $35.24 billion biennial budget proposal, all filed at the late-April short session opening. These bills carry the state-side appropriation authority for the $213 million Year 1 RHTP award North Carolina received in December 2025, plus expected future tranches that bring the program total above $1 billion over five years. S915 has been re-referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget; H1167 and H1146 remain in Filed status awaiting committee assignment.
Josh Stein’s $35.24 billion biennial budget proposal, filed in late April 2026 as the short session opened. The vehicles carry the state-side appropriation authority for the $213 million CMS awarded North Carolina under RHTP in December — the first of five annual payments totaling more than $1 billion if the state meets CMS performance benchmarks. The Stein budget halts scheduled corporate and individual income tax cuts, includes an 11% average teacher raise plus 2.5% for all state employees in both fiscal years, and provides $319 million to fully fund Medicaid. WUNC
RHTP money will flow into a Rural Health Innovation Fund supporting workforce, technology, behavioral health access, and locally governed hubs that link medical, mental health, and social support services. North Carolina Health News These bills sit alongside H696, the previously enacted RHTP codification statute that defines the state program by reference to Section 71401 and sets a multi-year reporting cadence to the General Assembly.
H1167 and H1146 are filed and awaiting committee assignment, with referral to the Committee on Appropriations followed by Rules.
Minnesota SF4612: The 2026 supplemental Health and Human Services omnibus passed the Senate on April 29 and includes nearly $300 million to stabilize Minnesota hospitals — $150 million for HCMC, $114.8 million for a general hospital stabilization program, $17.6 million for community-based safety net providers, and $15 million for a new rural EMS uncompensated care pool payment program. The bill explicitly backfills federal budget cuts and county cost shifts following passage of HR 1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), with more than 90% of new spending going toward that backfill. Minnesota Senate DFL
The connection to the RHTP runs through the same federal vehicle — Minnesota was awarded $193 million in RHTP funds for FY2026, and SF4612 is the state’s parallel investment to keep rural and safety-net hospitals viable while RHTP subgrants ramp up. MDH released its first round of RHTP subgrant opportunities on March 18 with applications due May 15, 2026. MN Department of Health
SF4612 received first reading in the Senate file and was referred for comparison with HF4466.
Minnesota HF4466: The House omnibus health finance bill, sponsored by Rep. Robert Bierman (DFL-Apple Valley), brings the state into compliance with the federal HR 1 changes to Medicaid — including new federally mandated work requirements for adults without children. House nonpartisan staff estimated the bill would save the state $15.9 million in this biennium and $136 million in the next biennium, primarily from cuts around the state’s Medicaid expansion population. Session Daily
The bill cleared the House Ways and Means Committee 15-13, with Bierman reluctantly carrying the compliance package and warning that the changes “would set healthcare in the state back a decade” but that Minnesota risks losing $3.5 to $4 billion a year if it falls out of federal compliance. Session Daily HF4466 has been referred to the Chief Clerk for comparison with SF4612 — the standard pre-conference posture for Minnesota omnibus bills.
Montana opens applications for Center of Excellence Advisory Council
Detailed application instructions and further information regarding the RHTP can be found at DPHHS website. The application window closes at 11:59 p.m. on May 22, 2026.
New Mexico announces May 13 webinar on funding opportunities
Join the Health Care Authority for an overview of the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, including funding opportunities, timelines, and how to engage.
Date: May 13, 2026 Time: 2:00PM MST
Join us to learn about:
Overview of RHT Program initiatives
Upcoming funding and procurement opportunities
How providers and communities can participate
Q&A (responses will be provided for pre-submitted questions only)
Register for the webinar here: registration link forthcoming
