National Institutes of Health Tribal Health Research Office

Part A of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 404P. Tribal Health Research Office (a) Establishment There is established within the Office of the Director of NIH an office, to be known as the Tribal Health Research Office (referred to in this section as the Office). The Office shall be headed by a director, who shall be appointed by the Director of NIH. (b) Purposes The purposes of the Office are— (1) the promotion of the Tribal health research programs of the national research institutes and national centers; (2) the coordination of such programs among the national research institutes and national centers; and (3) the coordination of such programs between the national research institutes and national centers and other public entities and private entities. (c) Duties The Director of the Office shall— (1) lead and coordinate Tribal health research activities at the National Institutes of Health; (2) disseminate to Tribal communities transparent and culturally aware information about the National Institutes of Health and biomedical and behavioral research, including by overseeing the development of a clearinghouse site on data-backed culturally derived interventions; (3) provide grants to develop, test, and implement innovative approaches to Native American health, including culturally based interventions and research on early childhood, children, and youth, including disparities; (4) work to enhance capacity for research in Native and Tribal communities, including by designating not fewer than 2 employees of the Office to serve as children’s funding and data liaisons for Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to facilitate access to grants, research, and capacity building opportunities across the Federal Government; (5) develop a process to ensure that the Office has the opportunity to provide input in grant review for the national research institutes and national centers; (6) serve as the Executive Secretary of the National Institutes of Health Tribal Advisory Committee established under section 404Q; and (7) submit to Congress and make publicly available an annual report that addresses— (A) the status of interoperability of Federal data sets used by Federal agencies that involve Native peoples; (B) the acceptance of traditional ecological knowledge in Federal research and grantmaking; and (C) other issues relating to Tribal health research and data sovereignty. 404Q. National Institutes of Health Tribal Advisory Committee (a) Establishment (1) In general The Secretary shall establish within the National Institutes of Health an advisory committee, to be known as the National Institutes of Health Tribal Advisory Committee (referred to in this section as the Advisory Committee). (2) Purpose The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary, the Director of NIH, and the Director of the Tribal Health Research Office on all matters relating to Tribal health research, promotion, and coordination. (b) Membership (1) Composition (A) Required members The Advisory Committee shall be composed of not fewer than 17 members, to be appointed by the Secretary, of whom— (i) 12 shall be Tribal leaders (or their designees) from each of the 12 regions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; (ii) 1 shall be a representative of a Native Hawaiian organization; (iii) 2 shall be representatives of an urban Indian organization; and (iv) 2 shall be representatives of Tribal Epidemiology Centers. (B) Optional member In addition to the members required under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may appoint an additional member to serve on the Advisory Committee, who shall be a representative of Native youth. (2) Appointment The Secretary shall appoint members to the Advisory Committee from among nominations submitted by Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations. (3) Qualifications To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure that members of the Advisory Committee— (A) represent diverse geographic regions; and (B) have experience in Tribal issues, research, and theory of data sovereignty and traditional ecological knowledge and practices. (c) Duties The Advisory Committee shall— (1) advise staff of the National Institutes of Health and provide feedback on any action or policy of the National Institutes of Health that will have Tribal implications; (2) serve as a forum for Indian Tribes and the National Institutes of Health to discuss proposals for changes to policies, regulations, and procedures of the National Institutes of Health, including research priorities; (3) explore opportunities for participation in other committees or working groups of the National Institutes of Health; (4) respond to the National Institutes of Health on cultural and technical issues regarding grants and contract policies and the impact of such policies on Indian Tribes; (5) raise pertinent issues to the attention of Tribal leaders; and (6) if appropriate, propose clarifications, recommendations, and solutions to address issues raised at Tribal, regional, and national levels, including— (A) to increase the accessibility of Federal datasets containing data relating to Tribal health disparities; (B) to develop data standards and standard definitions to be used across the Federal Government to improve the interoperability of Federal datasets containing data relating to Tribal health; (C) to expand opportunities for Native communities to implement interventions using traditional Indigenous knowledge and practice-based evidence with Federal funds; (D) to increase opportunities for Federal agencies and communities to collect strengths-based and community values-centric data; (E) to improve policies for accessing and sharing data collected relating to Tribal communities; and (F) to expand opportunities for the acceptance of traditional knowledge and cultural interventions that do not meet the current evidence-based practice standard of the Federal Government but are known to be effective by Native communities as practice-based evidence. (d) Meetings The Advisory Committee shall meet in person not less frequently than twice annually. (e) Agency representation (1) In general The Director of NIH shall serve as the designated Federal officer for the Advisory Committee. (2) Executive Secretary The Director of the Tribal Health Research Office shall serve as the Executive Secretary of the Advisory Committee. (f) Reporting (1) Committee reports Not less frequently than annually, the Advisory Committee shall submit to the Secretary and the relevant committees of Congress a report on— (A) the activities of the Advisory Committee; (B) research, data, and health challenges affecting Native communities, particularly children and youth; and (C) recommendations for legislative and administrative actions, if appropriate. (2) Agency response Not later than 45 days after the date on which the Secretary receives a report under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit a written response to— (A) the Advisory Committee; and (B) the relevant committees of Congress. (g) Compensation Members of the Advisory Committee shall serve without compensation. Members shall be reimbursed for travel, subsistence and other necessary expenses incurred by such members in carrying out the duties of the Advisory Committee. (h) Support The Secretary shall provide technical and logistical support to the Advisory Committee. (i) FACA exemption Chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the Federal Advisory Committee Act), shall not apply to the Advisory Committee. (j) Definitions In this section: (1) Relevant committees of congress The term relevant committees of Congress means— (A) the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate; (B) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; (C) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives; and (D) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives. (2) Urban indian organization The term urban Indian organization has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. (k) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032..