Governor Abbott Signs Rural Health Sustainability Legislation

September 10, 2025 | Austin, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott addressed more than 350 healthcare leaders and advocates at the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals (TORCH) fall conference in Austin, where he ceremonially signed two major pieces of legislation aimed at strengthening healthcare in rural communities: House Bill 18 and House Bill 3000.

“The hardworking people in rural Texas provide the food, fuel, and fiber that all Texans depend on,” Abbott said. “It is essential that we do more for rural Texas and rural healthcare. That is why we made one of the largest investments ever for mental health hospitals and facilities to cover the entire Panhandle and the Uvalde community. Here today, together through House Bill 18 and House Bill 3000, we are dramatically improving healthcare in rural Texas.”

House Bill 18, authored by Representative Gary VanDeaver and Senator Charles Perry, establishes the Rural Health Stabilization and Innovation Act, which ensures long-term planning and targeted funding to keep rural hospitals and clinics open and sustainable. House Bill 3000, authored by Representative Ken King and Senator Perry, creates the Rural Ambulance Service Grant Program, designed to provide financial assistance to ambulance providers in rural counties where emergency care access remains limited.

Governor Abbott also highlighted his recent rural healthcare roundtable with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., noting new federal and state investments under the Trump Administration. Abbott praised rural healthcare workers as “the backbone of Texas’ economy and resilience.”