Bill removes labor rules for temporary doctors and nurses.
H.R. 8347 — RURAL Healthcare Act · Filed by Burgess Owens (R-UT) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Apr 16, 2026 · Reported out
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What it does
The bill lets temporary doctors and advanced practice nurses work as independent contractors. They can work for up to one year at one location. These workers lose minimum wage rules, overtime pay, and workplace safety protections. They also lose the right to join a union.
Who it affects
Temporary healthcare workers lose federal labor protections. Hospitals and healthcare systems can hire these workers under different rules.
One thing to notice
The bill does not require hospitals to tell workers about this change. It does not require written contracts in advance.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Apr 16, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Apr 16, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce”
- Jul 21, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
- Jul 21, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 18 - 15”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- independent contractors — Workers who are not employees and do not get the same protections as regular employees.
- federal labor protections — Rules set by the U.S. government that protect workers, such as minimum wage and safe working conditions.
- advanced practice nurses — Nurses with extra training, including nurse practitioners, physician's assistants, and certified registered nurse anesthetists.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,593 characters) on Jun 3, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,206 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-17.
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