HR 741
Passed a chamber
Renames the head of the Indian Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services as an Assistant Secretary for Indian Health and updates federal references from the old Director title to the new one.
Official title: Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2025
Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions
House
Introduced
28-JAN-2025
Referred
28-JAN-2025
Approved by committee
14-MAY-2026
Reported
27-AUG-2026
On the calendar
27-AUG-2026
Passed
14-SEP-2026
Senate
Received
15-SEP-2026
- Changes the Indian Health Service Director position to Assistant Secretary for Indian Health and shifts the reporting duty from the Director to the Assistant Secretary.
- Allows the Assistant Secretary, with the Secretary's approval, to appoint a Deputy Assistant Secretary and to use Department officers and employees to run the Service.
- Replaces references to the Director of the Indian Health Service in federal law, rules, and documents with references to the Assistant Secretary.
- Adds the Assistant Secretary to the federal pay schedule at Executive Schedule Level IV, raising that level's position count from six to seven, and removes the Director from Level V.
Covers an older version. The newest CRS summary describes the bill as of "Introduced in House" (28-JAN-2025); the text has changed since (Engrossed in House, 14-SEP-2026).
CRS is the Library of Congress's nonpartisan research office. Read it on congress.gov- Energy and Commerce Committee (House)
- Natural Resources Committee (House)
- Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee
- Indian Affairs Committee (Senate)
Native Americans
■ 2 R■ 1 D
2 Republicans
1 Democrat