States findings of the Legislature and calls on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee and the State Treasurer to return rural health transformation funds to the United States Treasury.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 37 BY CAYLER A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION1 STATING FINDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE AND ENCOURAGING THE STATE TO REJECT AND2 RETURN ANY FUNDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RURAL HEALTH TRANSFORMATION PRO-3 GRAM.4 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:5 WHEREAS, in February 2026, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee6 passed Senate Bill No. 1264, and in March 2026, the House Health and Welfare7 Committee passed House Bill No. 862. Both of these bills employ similar8 language to set up the Idaho Rural Health Transformation Fund in the state9 treasury. The language in these bills creates a new Chapter 25 in Title 56,10 Idaho Code, and Section 56-2501 of the proposed new chapter states in part,11 "The fund shall consist of moneys received by the state of Idaho from the12 federal rural health transformation program grant and such other moneys that13 may be provided by legislative appropriation."; and14 WHEREAS, Idaho is to receive approximately $1 billion from the federal15 government for the Rural Health Transformation Fund. And as stated when16 Idaho accepted American Rescue Plan Act funds in 2021, this money is borrowed17 from our grandchildren. These borrowed funds for rural health were secured18 to gain key congressional votes to secure the passage of the One Big Beauti-19 ful Bill Act; and20 WHEREAS, the United States already spends over $15,000 per person on21 health care or 18% of gross domestic product, more than any other high income22 nation. Throwing more federal money into the system will not improve rural23 health, but rather just further increase health care inflation; and24 WHEREAS, these funds must be used within the parameters of the federally25 approved Idaho plan limiting state flexibility; and26 WHEREAS, Idaho does not have to accept these funds just because they27 were awarded to the state.28 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-29 sion of the Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the House of Representatives and30 the Senate concurring therein, that the Legislature strongly encourages the31 Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee not to appropriate any funds associ-32 ated with the Rural Health Transformation Program.33 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature strongly encourages the34 State Treasurer to return any and all funds associated with the Rural Health35 Transformation Program to the United States Treasury, whose debt is nearly36 $39 trillion.37