[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 741 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 741

To elevate the position of Director of the Indian Health Service within 
the Department of Health and Human Services to Assistant Secretary for 
                 Indian Health, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 28, 2025

    Mr. Stanton (for himself and Mr. Joyce of Ohio) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To elevate the position of Director of the Indian Health Service within 
the Department of Health and Human Services to Assistant Secretary for 
                 Indian Health, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Stronger Engagement for Indian 
Health Needs Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR INDIAN HEALTH.

    (a) Establishment.--Section 601(a) of the Indian Health Care 
Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1661(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``tribes'' and inserting 
        ``Tribes'';
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by striking ``a Director'' and inserting ``an 
                Assistant Secretary for Indian Health (in this section 
                referred to as the `Assistant Secretary')'';
                    (B) by striking ``The Director shall report'' and 
                inserting ``The Assistant Secretary shall report 
                directly'';
                    (C) by striking ``the Director'' and inserting 
                ``the Assistant Secretary''; and
                    (D) by striking ``A Director'' and inserting ``An 
                Assistant Secretary'';
            (3) in paragraph (3), by striking ``date of enactment of 
        the Indian Health Care Improvement Reauthorization and 
        Extension Act of 2009 shall serve as Director'' and inserting 
        ``date of enactment of the Stronger Engagement for Indian 
        Health Needs Act of 2025 shall serve as Assistant Secretary'';
            (4) in paragraph (4), in the matter before subparagraph 
        (A), by striking ``Director'' and inserting ``Assistant 
        Secretary''; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(5) Deputy assistant secretary.--The Assistant Secretary, 
        with the approval of the Secretary, may appoint a Deputy 
        Assistant Secretary and may employ and prescribe the functions 
        of such officers and employees, including attorneys, as are 
        necessary to administer the activities of the Service.''.
    (b) Duties.--Section 601(c) of the Indian Health Care Improvement 
Act (25 U.S.C. 1661(c)) is amended--
            (1) in the matter before paragraph (1), by striking 
        ``Director'' and inserting ``Assistant Secretary''; and
            (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ``date of enactment of 
        the Indian Health Care Improvement Reauthorization and 
        Extension Act of 2009'' and inserting ``date of enactment of 
        the Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2025''.
    (c) Authority.--Section 601(d)(1) of the Indian Health Care 
Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1661(d)(1)) is amended in the matter before 
subparagraph (A), by striking ``Director'' and inserting ``Assistant 
Secretary''.
    (d) References.--Section 601 of the Indian Health Care Improvement 
Act (25 U.S.C. 1661) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(e) References.--Any reference to the Director of the Indian 
Health Service in any Federal law, Executive order, rule, regulation, 
or delegation of authority, or in any document of or relating to the 
Director of the Indian Health Service, shall be deemed to refer to the 
Assistant Secretary.''.
    (e) Rate of Basic Pay.--
            (1) Positions at level iv.--Section 5315 of title 5, United 
        States Code, is amended by striking ``Assistant Secretaries of 
        Health and Human Services (6)'' and inserting ``Assistant 
        Secretaries of Health and Human Services (7)''.
            (2) Positions at level v.--Section 5316 of title 5, United 
        States Code, is amended by striking ``Director, Indian Health 
        Service, Department of Health and Human Services.''.
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