Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board

Legislative and Policy Update

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Important Dates

Mar. 16, 2022 (12:00 PM Pacific)

DOJ Consultation on Violent Crime and MMIP

Registration Link

Mar. 17, 2022 (10:00 AM Pacific)

NPAIHB Tribal Caucus on VA Tribal Representation Expansion Project (T. REP)

Zoom Link

Mar. 17, 2022 (11:00 AM Pacific)

CMS Tribal Leader Training Medicaid Waiver 101

Registration Link

Mar. 17, 2022 (12:00 PM Pacific)

DSTAC Monthly Meeting

Mar. 17, 2022 (12:00 PM Pacific)

DOJ Consultation on Violent Crime and MMIP

Registration Link

Mar. 21, 2022 (2:00 PM Pacific)

THD Learning Collaborative

Mar. 23, 2022 (12:00 PM Pacific)

Veterans Affairs Tribal Representation Expansion Project Tribal Consultation

Registration Link

Mar. 24, 2022 (11:00 AM Pacific)

CMS Tribal Leader Training Medicaid State Tribal Collaboration

Registration Link

Mar. 24-25, 2022

IHS Director's Workgroup on Improving PRC

Mar. 28, 2022 (10:00 AM Pacific)

IHS Director's Advisory Workgroup on Tribal Consultation Meeting

Mar. 30, 2022 (11:00 AM Pacific)

CDC/ATSDR Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) Conference Call

Mar. 31, 2022 (11:00 AM Pacific)

NIH Tribal Consultation on Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative

Apr. 6-7, 2022

HHS Annual Tribal Budget Consultation on FY 2024

Registration Link

Apr. 7, 2022 (12:00 PM Pacific)

IHS April All Tribal & Urban Indian Organization Leaders Call

Federal Health Agency and Congress Tracker (FHACT)) An ongoing list of Dear Tribal Leader Letters, Federal agency actions, and legislation introduced in the 117th Congress related to health.

An ongoing tracker of COVID-19 direct and set-aside funding for Tribes. Updated as of Aug. 2, 2021.

Appropriation Updates

Congress Finalizes FY 2022 Appropriations. Last week, Congress passed the FY 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act, H.R. 2471 which includes $395 million increase to the Indian Health Service. The increases to the IHS includes an additional $14 million for Tribal Epidemiology Centers, an additional $161 million for Hospitals and Health Clinics, an additional $9 million to Purchased/Referred Care, and an additional $111 million for EHR modernization. The Appropriations Act does not include advanced appropriations for IHS or moves contract support cost or 105(l) to mandatory appropriations. The $395 million increase for IHS is significantly less than the President’s Budget Request for a $2 billion increase for FY 2022. 

• See IHS FY 2022 Appropriations Charts for the full breakdown of increases over FY 2021 enacted.

NPAIHB Submitted Written Testimony on FY 2023 Appropriations to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

• READ the Testimony Here.

Legislative Updates

Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization. In addition to Congress moving forward with the FY 2022 Appropriations Package, there were also a number of legislative “Ride-Alongs” that are largely texts of other legislation, which included:

• Division W: This division is the language of the bipartisan Senate Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act (“VAWA,” S. 3623). The bill reauthorizes VAWA through 2027, preserves advancements made in previous reauthorizations, and includes a number of additional improvements to the current law. The final bill increases the amount of federal funding for the exercise of special tribal criminal jurisdiction from $5 million annually to $25 million, and allows for coverage of tribes’ reimbursement costs.

Tribal Consultation Updates

Veterans Affairs Tribal Representation Expansion Project (T. REP). Tribal Consultation announced via Dear Tribal Leader Letter on Feb. 15, 2022. In this project, the VA intends to focus on the Tribal communities that are underserved in terms of representation and gather input on claims representation in those communities.

• NPAIHB Tribal Caucus on Mar. 17, 2022 at 10:00 AM Pacific
• Registration link for Mar. 23, 2022 at 12:00 PM Pacific
• Written comments may be submitted by Mar. 30, 2022 via email to [email protected]

U.S. Department of Justice Tribal Consultation on Supporting Public Safety for Tribal Communities. The DOJ is hosting government-to-government consultation to discuss efforts to address high rates of violent crime in Native communities, including those reflected in missing and murdered indigenous persons (MMIP). The Deputy Attorney General released a memorandum in establishing a Steering Committee to address the crisis of MMIP.

• Registration link: Day 1 (Mar. 16) & Day 2 (Mar. 17); each day 12:00-1:30 PM Pacific
• Written comments are due by Apr. 15, 2022 to [email protected]

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announces Tribal Consultations and Engagement on Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) and Federal Decision Making via Dear Tribal Leader Letter on March 4. Previously, the WH had released a memorandum that recognizes Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK)—a form of Indigenous Knowledge as one of the many important bodies of knowledge that contributes to the scientific, technical, social, and economic advancements of the U.S. and to our collective understanding of the natural world. The WH is now developing guidance on inclusion of ITEK in Federal decision making and policy processes for release later this year via consultation and listening sessions, as follows:

• Tribal Consultation I: Apr. 5, 2022 at 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM Pacific (Registration)
• Public Listening Session: Apr. 8, 2022 at 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM Pacific (Registration)
• Tribal Consultation II: Apr. 29, 2022 at 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM Pacific (Registration)
• Written public comments can be sent to [email protected] by May 5, 2022

Administrative and Regulatory Updates

HHS Annual Tribal Budget Consultation. HHS will be hosting a virtual tribal consultation on the President’s FY 2024 budget request on April 6-7, 2022. Written testimony will be accepted until May 8, 2022 to [email protected]. 

• Registration Link for Virtual Annual Tribal Budget Consultation on April 6-7, 2022

President Biden Announces Nominee for Indian Health Service Director, Roselyn Tso. Ms. Tso is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and began her career with the Indian Health Service in 1984. She is currently the Navajo Area Director. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will need to confirm her nomination.   

U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Releases Report on Tribal Epidemiology Centers. The GAO Report highlights the issues Tribal Epidemiology Centers (TECs) face trying to access non-public HHS data. The GAO Report found that there are a lack of HHS policies acknowledging TECs’ authorities to access data and a lack of guidance and policies and procedures for TECS to request and access HHS data. Page 25 of the Report makes five recommendations to HHS, CDC, and IHS to improve TEC access to HHS data.

• Read the Full GAO Report Here.

The Department of the Interior Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC). The Interior is requesting nominations from Tribal Leaders for a primary and alternate member in their respective Bureau of Indian Affairs region to serve on the Interior STAC. Nominations are due May 9, 2022 to the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs at [email protected]. 

• For any questions, contact Heidi Todacheene, Senior Advisor to the Secretary at [email protected]

For more information:

Laura Platero, Executive Director

Lisa L. Griggs, Executive and Program Ops Assistant  

Candice Jimenez, Health Policy Specialist 

Liz Coronado, Health Policy Specialist

Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board | Website