[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3767 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3767

To amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act 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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 3, 2026

Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself and Mr. Rounds) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act 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 2026''.

SEC. 2. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR INDIAN HEALTH.

    (a) In General.--Section 601 of the Indian Health Care Improvement 
Act (25 U.S.C. 1661) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
                        ``Director'' and inserting ``Assistant 
                        secretary for indian health'';
                            (ii) in the first sentence, by striking ``a 
                        Director'' and inserting ``an Assistant 
                        Secretary for Indian Health (referred to in 
                        this section as the `Assistant Secretary')'';
                            (iii) in the second sentence, by striking 
                        ``The Director shall report'' and inserting 
                        ``The Assistant Secretary shall report 
                        directly'';
                            (iv) in the third sentence, by striking 
                        ``the Director'' and inserting ``the Assistant 
                        Secretary''; and
                            (v) in the fourth sentence, by striking ``A 
                        Director'' and inserting ``An Assistant 
                        Secretary'';
                    (B) 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 2026 
                shall serve as Assistant Secretary'';
                    (C) in paragraph (4), in the matter preceding 
                subparagraph (A), by striking ``Director'' and 
                inserting ``Assistant Secretary''; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) Deputy assistant secretary; other officers and 
        employees.--The Assistant Secretary, with the approval of the 
        Secretary, may--
                    ``(A) appoint a Deputy Assistant Secretary; and
                    ``(B) employ and prescribe the functions of such 
                officers and employees, including attorneys, as are 
                necessary to administer the activities of the 
                Service.'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
                striking ``Director'' and inserting ``Assistant 
                Secretary'';
                    (B) 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 2026''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (3)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 
                        ``(commonly known as the `Snyder Act')'' before 
                        ``(25 U.S.C. 13)''; and
                            (ii) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``(25 
                        U.S.C. 450 et seq.)'' and inserting ``(25 
                        U.S.C. 5301 et seq.)'';
            (3) in subsection (d)(1), in the matter preceding 
        subparagraph (A), by striking ``Director'' and inserting 
        ``Assistant Secretary''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Salary.--The salary of the Assistant Secretary shall be paid 
from amounts in the Indian Health Services account of the Service.''.
    (b) 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 be a 
reference to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Health.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 603(b) of the Indian Health Care Improvement 
        Act (25 U.S.C. 1663(b)) is amended by striking ``Office of the 
        Director'' and inserting ``Office of the Assistant Secretary 
        for Indian Health''.
            (2) Section 604(b) of the Indian Health Care Improvement 
        Act (25 U.S.C. 1663a(b)) is amended, in each of paragraphs (2) 
        and (3), by striking ``Office of the Director'' and inserting 
        ``Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Health''.
    (d) 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.''.
                                 <all>