S. 5056: CDC Tribal Public Health Security and Preparedness Act

This bill would change an existing federal public health preparedness program so that Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and consortia of Tribes are explicitly included as eligible participants, alongside states and local governments.

What the bill changes

• It updates the Public Health Service Act to refer to State, local, and Tribal public health security and preparedness.
• It adds Tribal governments and Tribal organizations as eligible entities for cooperative agreements under this program.
• It broadens references to include Tribal educational agencies, urban Indian organizations, and Tribal stakeholders in planning and implementation.

Funding changes

• It authorizes $750 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2029 for this public health preparedness program.
• At least 5% of that annual funding must be reserved for the Tribal-related awards described in the bill.
• The Secretary of Health and Human Services would be required to award at least 10 cooperative agreements to eligible Tribal entities, if they meet the application and implementation requirements.
• Funds awarded to Tribal entities would remain available for use during the full performance period, even if not spent in the first fiscal year.
• For these Tribal awards, the bill removes certain matching-fund requirements that normally apply to other recipients.

Administrative flexibility for Tribal recipients

• The Secretary would be allowed to make needed adjustments to program rules to help Tribal entities use the program effectively.
• The Secretary would also be required to waive or replace certain requirements, if appropriate, after consulting with Tribes.
• These flexibilities could not be used to waive requirements related to labor standards or the environment.

Consultation and oversight

• The Secretary would have to consult with Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations when designing the program for Tribal use.
• Within two years, the Secretary, working with the Indian Health Service Director, would have to review how the program is working for Tribal recipients and report to Congress.
• That report would include which Tribes applied, which received funding, which received waivers, what requirements were waived, and any problems that limited success.
• The report would also need to identify any public health emergency infrastructure problems encountered by Tribal entities.

Overall effect

In practical terms, the bill would expand an existing CDC-related public health preparedness grant/cooperative agreement program so that Tribal governments and related Tribal organizations can participate more directly, receive dedicated funding, and get more flexibility in how they meet program requirements.

Relevant Companies

None found