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Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2025
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.
Summary
The bill elevates the Director of the Indian Health Service to the position of Assistant Secretary for Indian Health within the Department of Health and Human Services. The new Assistant Secretary would report directly to the Secretary of HHS and would have authority to appoint a Deputy Assistant Secretary. The change increases the number of Assistant Secretaries at HHS from six to seven and updates all federal references to reflect the new title. The bill also modifies the pay grade classification for this position.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4] (D-AZ)
3 cosponsors
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Greg Stanton’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $35,651
- EB-5 NEW YORK STATE LLC $13,200
- SNELL & WILMER $8,700
- CRESCENT CROWN DISTRIBUTING $8,100
- ASU $7,845
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Greg Stanton → · Outside spending →
Actions (7)
- May 14, 2026 Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent. · house
- May 14, 2026 Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
- May 14, 2026 Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs Discharged · house
- Feb 5, 2025 Subcommittee Hearings Held · house
- Jan 29, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs. · house
- Jan 28, 2025 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. · house
- Jan 28, 2025 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Committee action
What happened to this bill in committee — the meetings where it was considered and every recorded vote taken on it.
Meetings where this bill was on the agenda
Full text
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.”. <all>
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