JACKSON (AP) — Mississippi legislators are advancing a bill that would allow Natchez Regional Medical Center to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy.

House Bill 1449 passed the House on Thursday and moves to the Senate for more work.

Officials have said the county-owned hospital is running $3 million in the red.

Adams County Board of Supervisors attorney Scott Slover says the length of the bankruptcy process would be subject to the will of the court. The county has been looking for a suitable buyer for the facility.

The hospital previously filed bankruptcy in February 2009 and exited the process in December of that year.

Chief Executive Officer Donny Rentfro has said that decreases in revenues, including reimbursement from the federal government, are a significant factor in the hospital’s financial standing