On March 3, 2026, the House Committee on Agriculture reported out for full House consideration of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567opens in new window), or the “farm bill” after over 20 hours of debate on amendments. The farm bill typically sets policy for an array of activities, offices, and programs conducted under the oversight of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), including farm and food policy, conservation efforts, agricultural trade, rural development and infrastructure, and agricultural research. Certain food aid programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, were addressed last year in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1opens in new window).
The legislation contains provisions that would expand access to mental and behavioral health care in rural communities, and legislation previously endorsed and supported by APA Services. These include:
- Section 5107, which expands the authority of farm credit institutions to work in conjunction with community banks to provide financing and technical assistance for essential rural community facilities projects. This includes health care facilities, which would open new sources of capital investment in rural behavioral health care.
- Section 6101, which reauthorizes a set-aside in certain USDA-funded community development loan and grant programs for the establishment of telemedicine access and distance learning sites, expanding the scope of this set-aside to include mental health, behavioral health, and maternal health treatment.
- Section 6201, which reauthorizes a rural development grant and loan program to increase access to broadband internet through 2031. This creates opportunities for the expansion of telehealth in rural communities that currently lack the necessary infrastructure for audio/video telehealth appointments.
- Section 7402, which reauthorizes the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network opens in new window through 2031 and allows grantees to establish referral relationships with certain mental and behavioral health facilities.
The farm bill now heads to the House floor for a vote sometime in the spring or summer of 2026. Working in conjunction with rural psychologists, APA Services continues to conduct outreach to key House offices and advocate for potential amendments that would create the greatest impact on access to behavioral health care in rural communities.
For more information, contact: Andrew Strickland.