Indian Health Care Amendments of 1980
Latest action. public lawWhat a bill becomes when enacted, numbered by Congress and order of enactment: Public Law 119-4 is the 4th law of the 119th Congress.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) 96-537.
(Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 96-1483) Indian Health Care Amendments of 1980 - Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1981 through 1984 for: (1) the health professions recruitment program for Indians; (2) the health professions preparatory scholarship program for Indians; (3) the Indian health service extern program; (4) Indian health services, including patient care, field health, dental care, mental health, alcoholism treatment, and maintenance and repair; (5) grants to and contracts with tribal organizations; and (6) health services for urban and rural Indians. Authorizes Indian scholarship grants for pregraduate education in certain areas of medicine for periods not to exceed four years. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1981 through 1984 for the Indian health scholarship program. Authorizes appropriations as necessary for such fiscal years for: (1) the construction and renovation of Indian health service facilities; and (2) the construction of safe water and sanitary waste disposal facilities. Amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assist tribal organizations in administering programs on or near Federal Indian reservations and in or near Alaska Native villages, to assist Indians to enroll for Medicare benefits and to apply for Medicaid benefits. Directs the Secretary to enter into contracts with urban and rural tribal organizations to establish and administer programs to make health services more accessible to Indian populations. Requires such organizations to submit a report for each fiscal year on the expenditure of funds received under such contracts. Makes such report subject to audit by the Secretary and the Comptroller General. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to Congress, not later than six months after September 30, 1983, on health services for urban and other nonreservation Indians, including an assessment of the unmet health needs of such Indians. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with an Indian tribe for the reconstruction or renovation of any property leased by the Secretary from such tribe. Directs the Secretary to submit a resource allocation plan to the Congress within one year of enactment of this Act, which explains the future allocation of services and funds provided by the Indian Health Service. Directs the Secretary and the Service to conduct a study of the health hazards to Indian miners and Indians on or near reservations and communities as a result of nuclear resource development, and to develop a health care plan to be submitted to the Congress in specified time periods after enactment of this Act. Establishes an Intergovernmental Task Force, chaired by the Secretary, pursuant to such study and plan. Directs the Service to render appropriate medical care to any Indian, upon request by such Indian, for work-related illnesses resulting from employment in a uranium mine or mill and to recover such medical care costs from the mine or mill operator. Designates the State of Arizona as a contract health service delivery area of the Indian Health Service, and directs that the Service not curtail any existing services provided to Indians on Federal reservations in the State as a result of such designation. Makes Indians who are members or descendants of members of formerly and currently federally-recognized tribes of California eligible for services provided by the Indian Health Service. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a personnel ceilings demonstration project to determine if the Service can be better managed through fiscal controls without personnel ceilings. Requires the Service to report to the Congress, within two years of enactment of this Act, on the results of such project.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Conference report filed in House" stage on December 1, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Public Law 96-537.
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Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
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The record's latest action, on December 17, 1980: Public Law 96-537.
How likely is it to become law?
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In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one has no outstanding steps listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
JOHN MELCHER (D-MT) introduced it on May 15, 1980. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 15, 1980, 16919 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16703 days ago, on December 17, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenatePublic Law 96-537.
- HouseNot stated in the latest action
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action