RURAL Healthcare Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8347 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8347

  To classify qualified locum tenens professionals and advanced care
 practitioners as independent contractors for the purposes of the Fair
   Labor Standards Act of 1938 and the National Labor Relations Act.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 16, 2026

  Mr. Owens introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                  Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To classify qualified locum tenens professionals and advanced care
 practitioners as independent contractors for the purposes of the Fair
   Labor Standards Act of 1938 and the National Labor Relations Act.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Reinforcing Underserved, Rural, and
Local Healthcare Act'' or the ``RURAL Healthcare Act''.

SEC. 2. CLASSIFICATION OF QUALIFIED LOCUM TENENS PROFESSIONALS AND
              ADVANCED CARE PRACTITIONERS AS INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS
              UNDER FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT OF 1938 AND NATIONAL LABOR
              RELATIONS ACT.

    (a) In General.--For the purposes of the following Federal laws, an
individual who is a qualified locum tenens professional or advanced
care practitioner shall not be considered an employee of the entity on
behalf of which the individual furnishes physician or advanced care
practitioner services on a temporary basis, whether or not provided as
a substitute for another provider:
            (1) The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 201 et
        seq.).
            (2) The National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 151 et
        seq.).
    (b) Qualified Locum Tenens Professional or Advanced Care
Practitioner Defined.--In this section, the term ``qualified locum
tenens professional or advanced care practitioner'' means an individual
who--
            (1) provides temporary physician or advanced care
        practitioner services, including for workforce coverage,
        scheduling flexibility, or episodic staffing needs--
                    (A) for a period of not more than one continuous
                year at a single site of service; and
                    (B) pursuant to a written contract providing that
                the individual will not be treated as an employee with
                respect to such services; and
            (2) is--
                    (A) a physician, as defined in--
                            (i) section 1861(r) of the Social Security
                        Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(r)); or
                            (ii) section 8101(2) of title 5, United
                        States Code; or
                    (B) a nurse practitioner, physician's assistant, or
                certified registered nurse anesthetist.
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