Nevada Detailed RFP Timeline and Direct Links to RFPs on Worforce Recruitment and more
Plus Pennsylvania Advisory callout and legislative action in Alabama, Connecticut, and Oklahoma
Nevada published a significant move toward RFPs
The Nevada Health Authority has released an updated RHT timeline for 2026, featuring critical application deadlines and funding decision dates for Budget Period 1 (BP1). If your organization is planning to apply for funding, please mark your calendars with these newly announced deadlines:
NV Rural Health System Flex Fund: Applications due April 30, 2026 (Decisions by May 29). Flex Fund Request for Applications Announcement-REVISED
Workforce Recruitment & Rural Access Program (WRRAP) - 1st & 2nd RFAs: Applications due May 15, 2026 (Decisions by June 15). Nevada Workforce Recruitment and Rural Access Program Provider Recruitment and Retention Program Request for Applications Announcement
Rural Tribal Health Transformation: Applications due May 29, 2026 (Decisions by June 29). Rural Correctional Health Transformation Request for Applications Announcement
Rural Health Outcomes Accelerator Program (RHOAP): Applications due June 26, 2026 (Decisions by August 4).
WRRAP - 3rd RFA: Applications due June 26, 2026 (Decisions by August 4).
Other Notable Changes & Reminders:
RFP Window: When upcoming Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are published in May, they will now remain open for at least 42 days on Nevada ePro.
Obligation Deadline: All BP1 subawards and contracts must be fully signed and obligated no later than October 30, 2026.
Meeting Update: The Q3 RHT Steering Committee meeting has been slightly rescheduled and will now take place on September 10, 2026.
See also: Rural Veterans Health Transformation Request for Applications Announcement
Pennsylvania calls for RHTP Advisory Council members
Are you or one of your peers interested in being a part of the Rural Health Transformation Plan (RHTP) Advisory Council or a member of a regional RHTP Rural Care Collaborative (RCC)?
This is a reminder to complete the RHTP Advisory Council and RCC Nomination form by this Friday, April 10th at 5:00 PM.
Legislation Watch
Primary RHT Legislative Actions
Four bills across three states are moving to directly implement, fund, or govern the RHTP — with Alabama advancing two companion appropriations through the House on near-unanimous votes, Connecticut aligning state statute with federal program requirements, and Oklahoma standing up a revolving fund for workforce dollars.
Alabama HB591: The FY2026 supplemental appropriations vehicle for Alabama’s $203.4 million RHTP award, directing federal funds to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and creating the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Rural Health Transformation Program Funds. The bill passed the House 104–0, sponsored by Rep. Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville). Alabama Reflector
Alabama’s plan channels its award across 11 coordinated initiatives aimed at making rural facilities more financially viable, with ADECA serving as the lead fiscal agent. Governor Ivey convened the first meeting of the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Advisory Group in February to guide implementation. Yellowhammer News
HB591 has passed the House and now moves to the Senate, where a companion bill (SB368) was indefinitely postponed — making HB591 the live vehicle for FY2026 spending authority.
Alabama HB614: The FY2027 appropriations bill for the same $203.4 million RHTP award, also directing funds to ADECA and sponsored by Rep. Reynolds. The bill passed the House 101–0 and moves to the Senate. Alabama Reflector
Alabama is running both fiscal years through the legislature simultaneously — HB591 covers the current year through September 2026, while HB614 establishes spending authority through September 2027. A Senate companion (SB367) also exists but HB614 is the active vehicle. Alabama Daily News
Both bills advanced through the House during the March 31–April 2 legislative week and are now pending in the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund committee.
Connecticut SB00093: An act implementing the Rural Health Transformation Program to expand health care access, aligning Connecticut statute with the federal RHTP requirements so the state’s $154 million award can flow. The bill passed the Public Health Committee 30–0 with 2 abstentions on March 2. CT Mirror
The Department of Social Services serves as lead agency, partnering across state government to implement dozens of projects organized across four core initiatives: population health outcomes, workforce, data and technology, and care transformation and stability. Innovative elements include a mobile clinic pilot with four primary care and four dental vans, a health workforce pipeline through the Area Health Education Center and UConn Health Center, and a community health navigator program. Connecticut Public
As per Connecticut Hospital Association: SB 93 adjusts statutory language so there is alignment with the federal requirements under the Rural Health Transformation Program.
The bill has been assigned File Number 44 and is advancing toward a floor vote.
Oklahoma HB3066: Creates the Rural Health Transformation Revolving Fund in the State Treasury for the Health Care Workforce Training Commission, establishing a continuing fund to receive and deploy RHTP dollars earmarked for workforce recruitment and retention in rural and underserved areas. The bill passed the House 87–5 on March 24. KGOU
The revolving fund will receive RHTP federal funds specifically designated for recruiting and retaining clinical workforce talent in rural areas, with a five-year service commitment requirement. Oklahoma’s $223.5 million RHTP award is already flowing — the state Department of Health can access approximately $202 million, with partner agencies including the Health Care Authority, Department of Education, and the Workforce Training Commission each leading specific projects. KGOU
HB3066 has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee after clearing the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. The bill carries an emergency clause with a July 1, 2026 effective date.
Appropriation & Budgetary Links
Four broad budget or appropriations bills carry RHTP-adjacent funding as line items or establish the fiscal framework through which RHTP dollars will ultimately flow.
Alabama SB146: The State General Fund appropriations bill for FY2027, covering executive, legislative, and judicial agencies. While SB146 does not specifically earmark RHTP funds — those flow through the dedicated HB591/HB614 vehicles — it sets the broader fiscal context within which Alabama’s rural health spending operates, including state match and administrative capacity. LegiScan
The bill has passed both chambers and a signature has been requested from the Governor.
Alaska HB263: The state operating budget for FY2027, the vehicle through which Alaska’s $272 million annual RHTP award — totaling up to $1.36 billion over five years — will require legislative spending authority. Alaska officials have acknowledged uncertainty about which specific enabling bills are needed to keep the full federal award, but the operating budget is the baseline fiscal mechanism. Alaska Beacon
Alaska kicked off its billion-dollar rural health transformation effort in January, with nearly 1,800 Letters of Interest submitted through the state portal for funding opportunities. Funding awards are expected to begin in Spring 2026. Alaska Public Media
HB263 has passed out of House Finance and was held in second reading for the April 9 calendar.
Kansas HB2513: The mega-appropriations bill authorizing payment of claims and making appropriations across state agencies, signed by the Governor on April 8 with extensive line-item vetoes across dozens of sections. Kansas has a separate dedicated RHTP bill (HB 2463) establishing the Rural Health Transformation Fund in the State Treasury, but HB2513 is the broader fiscal vehicle that sets spending capacity. Kansas Reflector
The Governor approved the bill with line-item vetoes of Sections 15(b) and (c), 26(a) portions, 30(a) portions, and dozens of other provisions. Whether any vetoed sections affect rural health-adjacent spending requires further review of the specific line items.
Maryland SB282: The FY2027 Budget Bill, signed by Governor Wes Moore as Chapter 4. The nearly $71 billion budget passed with bipartisan support and includes no new taxes or fees. Maryland’s RHTP funding flows through the state health department, and SB282 sets the overall fiscal framework. WTOP
The budget closed a $1.4 billion shortfall while maintaining the Rainy Day Fund at 8% and increasing the Fund Balance to $250 million. The bill is now law.
Indirect / Weak RHTP Link — Flagged for Review
Five measures across four states address policy areas covered by various state RHTP applications but do not reference the program directly — worth monitoring for convergence with RHTP implementation.
Hawaii SR24 / SCR27: A paired resolution and concurrent resolution urging Maui Health System to collaborate with the John A. Burns School of Medicine and other stakeholders to establish a full-time medical residency program on Maui. The resolutions explicitly reference the Hawaii Rural Health Transformation Plan as a primary funding vehicle for the residency program, making this a stronger indirect connection than most. Hawaii News Now
Maui County faces a 41% physician shortage — a deficit of approximately 179 full-time equivalent physicians — worsened after the 2023 wildfires destroyed West Maui healthcare facilities. Hawaii’s $188.9 million RHTP award includes the HOME RUN initiative (Hawai’i Outreach for Medical Education in Rural Under-resourced Neighborhoods), a workforce pipeline providing training, residencies, scholarships, and mentoring. The resolution directly urges leveraging RHTP funding to cover the high initial costs of a Maui residency program. KITV
Both resolutions received one-day notice on April 9. These are non-binding but signal legislative intent to steer RHTP dollars toward a Maui residency — keep tracking.
Nebraska LB958: Originally introduced to require legislative approval before the state could seek Medicaid waiver changes affecting home and community-based services for individuals requiring nursing-level care. The bill was substantially amended after the Governor removed a proposed cap on HCBS service hours, redirecting it toward assessment tool requirements for developmental disability service provision. Unicameral Update
The RHTP connection is contextual — Nebraska’s RHTP application covers HCBS expansion and care transformation, and waiver policy directly affects how rural Medicaid recipients access community-based services. The bill itself does not reference the RHTP. The amended version requires DHHS to report on assessment tool implementation by August 1. LB958 has passed both chambers and is in enrollment. Weak connection — flag only if Nebraska’s RHTP implementation touches HCBS waiver populations.
California AB1923: Injects $300 million into the Distressed Hospital Loan Program and broadens eligibility to all hospitals regardless of ownership type. Notably, the bill explicitly references the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as a factor that could cause financial distress justifying loan forgiveness — making this a rare case where state legislation acknowledges the OBBBA’s impact on hospital finances even while addressing a state-level program. The Business Journal
Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria (D-Fresno) introduced the bill to build on the 2023 law that created the program with $300 million in interest-free loans. The RHTP connection is indirect — the bill addresses hospital financial distress that RHTP funding is also meant to alleviate, and it names the OBBBA (the statute containing the RHTP) as a cause of that distress. But AB1923 does not implement or fund the RHTP itself. KFF Health News
The Assembly Health Committee hearing was scheduled for April 14 but canceled at the request of the author. Worth watching if it gets rescheduled — the OBBBA reference makes it relevant to tracking how states are responding to the federal law beyond the RHTP itself.
Minnesota SF5019: An omnibus human services provisions bill referred to the Health and Human Services Committee. No bill text or news coverage specific to SF5019 was available at the time of research. Minnesota’s RHTP application covers workforce and care transformation, and omnibus human services bills frequently contain provisions that overlap with RHTP implementation areas — but without visibility into the bill text, the connection remains speculative. Flag for review when text becomes available.