Senate Indian Affairs Announces Hearing for this Wednesday on COVID-19 Impacts in Indian Country and Consideration of the NCUIH Bill to Expand Resources for Urban Indian Health

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will host an oversight and legislative hearing on S. 3650 on Wednesday, July 1 at 2:30pm in 562 Dirksen. The oversight hearing will cover “Evaluating the Response and Mitigation to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Native Communities”.

The Committee will consider recently introduced bipartisan legislation (S. 3650) to expand Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) coverage to urban Indian organizations, giving them a desperately needed boost in resources as many suffer critical supply shortages, closures, and financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coverage for Urban Indian Health Providers Act (S.3650), would amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to create parity within the Indian Health System. This is a companion bill to H.R. 6535, introduced on April 17, 2020 by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).

NCUIH has been advocating for swift passage of the FTCA fix (S. 3650 / H.R. 6535) for urban Indian organizations, which will free up thousands of dollars for patient care.

WITNESSES:

Panel I

• THE HONORABLE RADM MICHAEL D. WEAHKEE, Director, Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD
• MR. ROBERT J. FENTON, JR., Regional Administrator, Region 9, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC

Panel II

• MR. SCOTT DAVIS, Executive Director, North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission, Office of the Governor, State of North Dakota, Bismarck, ND
• MS. LISA ELGIN, Secretary, National Indian Health Board, Washington, DC (Virtual Witness)

https://www.indian.senate.gov/hearing/oversight-hearing-evaluating-response-and-mitigation-covid-19-pandemic-native-communities