PRINTER'S NO. 2372
No. 377 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY McILVAINE SMITH, BELFANTI, BISHOP, CLYMER, COHEN,
DeLUCA, DePASQUALE, FREEMAN, GRUCELA, HENNESSEY, HESS, JAMES,
JOSEPHS, KORTZ, KOTIK, KULA, McGEEHAN, MELIO, MURT, MYERS,
PALLONE, PARKER, PETRARCA, PETRONE, RAPP, READSHAW, WALKO,
WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD, AUGUST 1, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS,
AUGUST 1, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing the Congress of the United States to pass and the
2 President of the United States to sign Indian Health Care
3 Improvement Act reauthorization legislation.
4 WHEREAS, The Federal Government through treaties entered into
5 with tribal entities, has the primary responsibility for
6 providing health care to the Native American population in
7 Pennsylvania and the United States; and
8 WHEREAS, Native Americans in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
9 and across the nation experience the highest rates of cancer,
10 obesity, diabetes and heart disease yet are adversely affected
11 by limited access to health care due to chronic underfunding of
12 the Indian Health Service; and
13 WHEREAS, Disparities in the health care provided to Native
14 Americans have been documented in the July 2003 report entitled
15 "A Quiet Crisis: Federal Funding and Unmet Needs in Indian
16 Country" and the September 2004 report entitled "Broken
1 Promises: Evaluating the Native American Health Care System,"
2 both reports issued by the United States Commission on Civil
3 Rights; and
4 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Native American
5 population showed a 32% increase between 1980 and 1990, reaching
6 14,000 in 1990 and today stands at more than 18,000; and
7 WHEREAS, In the 2005-2006 session of Congress, efforts to
8 reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which
9 expired in 2000, were unsuccessful; and
10 WHEREAS, Congress currently has before it measures that would
11 reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, including S.
12 1200, reported without amendment from committee, and H.R. 1328,
13 reported from committee as amended; therefore be it
14 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
15 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania memorialize the Congress to pass
16 and the President of the United States to sign Indian Health
17 Care Improvement Act reauthorization legislation early in the
18 first session of the 110th Congress; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives support language
20 in the reauthorization bill of the Indian Health Care
21 Improvement Act to encourage state-Indian Health Service
22 partnerships to provide eligibility to workers in rural areas;
23 and be it further
24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives support providing
25 access to residential treatment centers for Native American
26 youths and adolescents in light of the alarming rates of
27 substance abuse and suicide within this population; and be it
28 further
29 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
30 the President of the United States, to the United States
20070H0377R2372 - 2 -
1 Secretary of the Interior and to each member of Congress from
2 Pennsylvania.
F29L82BIL/20070H0377R2372 - 3 -