{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://owens.house.gov/posts/rep-owens-introduces-rural-healthcare-act-to-secure-healthcare-staffing-for-rural-communities", "Rep. Owens Introduces RURAL Healthcare Act to Secure Healthcare Staffing for Rural Communities", "2026-04-15", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "House", "UT", "Burgess Owens", "O000086", "owens.house.gov", "owens", "https://owens.house.gov/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congressman Burgess Owens (UT-04) introduced the Reinforcing Underserved, Rural and Local (RURAL Healthcare) Act today.\n\nThis bill would permanently protect the independent contractor status of locum tenens physicians and advanced practitioners under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the National Labor Relations Act, and prevent any lapse in staffing, especially in rural and underserved areas.\n\nThe Latin term locum tenens means \u201cto hold the place\u201d refers to clinicians who provide temporary medical services in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings. This short-term staffing plays a critical role in maintaining continuity of care for Americans who may live long distances from hospitals or clinics.\n\nThe United States is projected to be short up to 139,000 physicians and advanced practitioners by 2033. Over the course of the next decade, nearly a third of US doctors are on track for retirement.\n\n\u201cRural America is what keeps the United States strong. It is home to those who are up well before the sun to make sure there is food on our shelves and meat in our freezers.\u201d Rep. Owens said. \u201cWe need to ensure that the physicians who help serve our rural communities are protected and their ability to fill in for each other isn\u2019t hindered. My RURAL Healthcare Act ensures these clinicians working as independent contractors can continue filling in on these critical rural shifts and save lives and care for those in rural America.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith provider shortages intensifying nationwide, healthcare systems cannot afford to lose access to clinicians who are willing and able to serve where they\u2019re needed most,\u201d said Leslie Snavely, CEO of CHG Healthcare, headquartered in Midvale, Utah. \u201cLocum tenens physicians deliver vital care to millions of patients every year, particularly in rural communities. Recognizing their independent status helps protect a labor model that is foundational to sustaining access to care when and where it matters most.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmerica is facing a growing shortage of doctors and healthcare professionals. Our ability to fill gaps in the system benefits those most in need and supports \u2018Care in Place\u2019 \u2013 providing healthcare access where and when it is needed. Representative Owens\u2019 bill furthers this mission and empowers healthcare professionals to serve more communities.\u201d Jarin Dana, Chief Financial Officer of Fusion Healthcare Staffing, headquartered in Sandy, Utah.\n\nBackground:\n\nThis industry emerged from pioneering work in the 1970s at the Health Systems Research Institute in Salt Lake City, where Dr. Therus Kolff sought to develop a solution to help rural doctors who needed time to keep up with continuing education, take a vacation, or find relief from burnout.\n\nIn these often remote areas, any lapse in care would result in patients having to drive long distances to find access to even basic care.\n\nThe ongoing debates around independent contractor and gig-worker classifications have created regulatory uncertainty. In some cases, state laws like California\u2019s AB5, have led to staffing issues and reduced placement of providers at healthcare facilities. The RURAL Healthcare Act seeks to ensure that short-term physicians and advanced practitioners can still work to fill critical staffing gaps without regulatory uncertainty.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-17T05:47:03Z", "2026-04-17T05:48:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://owens.house.gov/posts/rep-owens-introduces-rural-healthcare-act-to-secure-healthcare-staffing-for-rural-communities"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7445681840181351, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}