# 119-s-3767: Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2026

119-s-3767, Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3767
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3767
- Congress: 119
- Title: Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-02-03
- Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Native Americans
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Elevates the Indian Health Service Director to an Assistant Secretary who reports directly to the HHS Secretary.** This bill would rename the senior IHS official, move reporting lines so the position reports straight to the Secretary, and adjust staffing authority and pay rules to match the new role. - IHS leadership and staff: The Assistant Secretary, with the Secretary's approval, could appoint a Deputy Assistant Secretary and hire officers and attorneys to run the Service, giving the office clearer staffing authority. - Federal administration: The bill revises federal pay schedule entries to accommodate the new Assistant Secretary level and specifies the Assistant Secretary's salary is paid from the Indian Health Services account. - Legal and statutory alignment: Statutory references throughout Indian health law would be updated so mentions of the Director are treated as references to the Assistant Secretary, including explicit cross-references to the Snyder Act (25 U.S.C. 13).

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] (R-SD), 2026-02-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Indian Health head becomes Assistant Secretary: mixed, low. This bill would rename the Director of the Indian Health Service as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Health. The person serving as Director on the enactment date would serve as Assistant Secretary. The Assistant Secretary would report directly to the HHS Secretary. With the Secretary's approval,…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2234: Reducing Homelessness Through Program Reform Act
- 119-s-3659: SECURE Minerals Act of 2026
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-1260: Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025
- 119-s-890: Choice in Affordable Housing Act of 2025
- 119-s-554: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-3767 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3767)

## Related
- [119-s-2234: Reducing Homelessness Through Program Reform Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2234)
- [119-s-3659: SECURE Minerals Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3659)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-1260: Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1260)
- [119-s-890: Choice in Affordable Housing Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-890)
- [119-s-554: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-554)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3767 (as of 2026-04-21).