II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2545 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a special behavioral 

health program for Indians. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 14, 2018 

Ms. SMITH (for herself, Mr. UDALL, Mr. TESTER, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Ms. 

WARREN, and Ms. HEITKAMP) introduced the following bill; which was 

read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a 

special behavioral health program for Indians. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Native Behavioral 

5 Health Access Improvement Act of 2018’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SPECIAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAM FOR IN7 DIANS. 

8 Part A of title V of the Public Health Service Act 

9 (42 U.S.C. 290aa et seq.) is amended by adding at the 

10 end the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 506B. SPECIAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAM FOR 

2 INDIANS. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Indian 

4 Health Service, in coordination with the Assistant Sec5 retary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall award 

6 grants for providing services in accordance with subsection 

7 (b) for the prevention and treatment of mental health and 

8 substance use disorders. 

9 ‘‘(b) SERVICES THROUGH INDIAN HEALTH FACILI10 TIES.—For purposes of subsection (a), services are pro11 vided in accordance with this subsection if the services are 

12 provided through any of the following entities: 

13 ‘‘(1) The Indian Health Service. 

14 ‘‘(2) An Indian health program operated by an 

15 Indian tribe or tribal organization pursuant to a 

16 contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or compact 

17 with the Indian Health Service pursuant to the In18 dian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

19 Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.). 

20 ‘‘(3) An urban Indian health program operated 

21 by an urban Indian organization pursuant to a grant 

22 or contract with the Indian Health Service pursuant 

23 to title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement 

24 Act (25 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.). 

25 ‘‘(c) REPORTS.—Each grantee under this section 

26 shall submit reports at such time, in such manner, and 


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1 containing such information as the Director of the Indian 

2 Health Service may require. 

3 ‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER.— 

4 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director of the 

5 Indian Health Service, in coordination with the As6 sistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance 

7 Use, shall establish a technical assistance center (di8 rectly or by contract or cooperative agreement)— 

9 ‘‘(A) to provide technical assistance to 

10 grantees under this section; and 

11 ‘‘(B) to collect and evaluate information on 

12 the program carried out under this section. 

13 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—The technical assistance 

14 center shall consult with grantees under this section 

15 for purposes of developing evaluation measures and 

16 data submission requirements for purposes of the 

17 collection and evaluation of information under para18 graph (1)(B). 

19 ‘‘(3) DATA SUBMISSION.—As a condition on re20 ceipt of a grant under this section, an applicant 

21 shall agree to submit data consistent with the data 

22 submission requirements developed under paragraph 

23 (2). 

24 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For the purpose of making 

2 grants under this section, there is authorized to be 

3 appropriated, and there is appropriated, out of any 

4 money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 

5 $150,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 

6 2022. 

7 ‘‘(2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER.—Of the 

8 amount made available to carry out this section for 

9 each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022, the Director 

10 of the Indian Health Service shall allocate a percent11 age of such amount, to be determined by the Direc12 tor in consultation with Indian tribes, for the tech13 nical assistance center under subsection (d). 

14 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 ‘‘(1) INDIAN HEALTH PROGRAM.—The term 

16 ‘Indian health program’ has the meaning given that 

17 term in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Im18 provement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603). 

19 ‘‘(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ 

20 has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the 

21 Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 

22 1603). 

23 ‘‘(3) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘tribal 

24 organization’ has the meaning given that term in 


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1 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu2 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

3 ‘‘(4) URBAN INDIAN ORGANIZATION.—The term 

4 ‘urban Indian organization’ has the meaning given 

5 the term ‘Urban Indian organization’ in section 4 of 

6 the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 

7 1603).’’. 

Æ 


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