“Let's pass this bill right now. We should not have a long debate. We should just vote.”
“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes the leader of the Indian Health Service an assistant secretary.”
“Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (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, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (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, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:
“I want this bill to pass. It changes a job title in the Department of Health. This person is in charge of health services for American Indians. This is a trust responsibility of the government. This person should be able to work with other parts of the department. The bill is simple. It does not make a new job. It does not create a new program. It does not change how services are delivered. It is a small structural change. It will help coordination across the department.”
“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes the head of the Indian Health Service an assistant secretary in the department. This will help them work better with other health leaders, without creating new jobs or changing how care is given.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 741 is a straightforward bill to strengthen Indian health leadership within the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill redesignates the Director of the Indian Health Service as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Health within HHS. The Federal Government has longstanding responsibilities for Indian healthcare rooted in the Federal trust responsibility. The Indian Health Service is the principal Federal entity responsible for providing health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Indian health issues do not begin and end at IHS. Many of these issues require coordination across HHS, including healthcare access, workforce recruitment and retention, behavioral health, public health, and health infrastructure. H.R. 741 will help that coordination by elevating IHS' senior within the Department. This bill is narrowly tailored. The IHS director is already appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, so H.R. 741 does not create a new Senate-confirmed appointment. It does not create a new program or change how IHS delivers healthcare. Instead, this bill makes a senior-level structural change to better coordinate health issues across the Department. This is a practical and reasonable step. When Indian health issues cut across IHS, the senior official responsible for Indian health should be positioned to work across HHS. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 741, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 741 is a straightforward bill to strengthen Indian health leadership within the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill redesignates the Director of the Indian Health Service as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Health within HHS. The Federal Government has longstanding responsibilities for Indian healthcare rooted in the Federal trust responsibility. The Indian Health Service is the principal Federal entity responsible for providing health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Indian health issues do not begin and end at IHS. Many of these issues require coordination across HHS, including healthcare access, workforce recruitment and retention, behavioral health, public health, and health infrastructure. H.R. 741 will help that coordination by elevating IHS' senior within the Department. This bill is narrowly tailored. The IHS director is already appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, so H.R. 741 does not create a new Senate-confirmed appointment. It does not create a new program or change how IHS delivers healthcare. Instead, this bill makes a senior-level structural change to better coordinate health issues across the Department. This is a practical and reasonable step. When Indian health issues cut across IHS, the senior official responsible for Indian health should be positioned to work across HHS. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 741, and I reserve the balance of my time.
“Thank you for working on this bill. I am done talking. Let's finish now.”
“I am done with debate on this bill and ready to finish.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton) and the ranking member for working with us on this legislation. I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton) and the ranking member for working with us on this legislation. I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
