Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hosts hearing for tribal health bills

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Architectural rendering of the new Quyana Clubhouse proposed by Southcentral Foundation on land currently owned by the Indian Health Service in Anchorage, Alaska. Image by Spark Design LLC, Courtesy Southcentral Foundation

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Indianz.Com

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is meeting to take testimony on legislation benefiting tribal health programs.

Three bills are on the agenda for the hearing on Wednesday afternoon. They follow:

• S.2098, the Southcentral Foundation Land Transfer Act of 2025. S.2098 transfers land from the Indian Health Service to the Southcentral Foundation to provide health services for the Native community in Anchorage, Alaska. Similar bills have been enacted into law for other tribal health providers in Alaska.

• S.1055, the Indian Health Service Emergency Claims Parity Act. The bill extends the reporting deadline for Indian Health Service (IHS) patients who seek emergency care outside of the IHS system from 72 hours to 15 days.

• S.699, the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act of 2025. The bill requires the Indian Health Service (IHS) to reimburse tribal patients for care sought outside of IHS in a timely manner.

The hearing takes place at 2:15pm Eastern in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. The witness list follows:

PANEL 1
The Honorable Darrell LaRoche [PDF: Testimony]
Deputy Director for Management Operations
Indian Health Service
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, D.C.

The Honorable Dayna Seymour [PDF: Testimony]
Health & Human Services Chair
Colville Business Council
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
Nespelem, Washington

Ms. Leanndra Ross [PDF: Testimony]
Vice President of Executive and Tribal Services
Southcentral Foundation
Anchorage, Alaska

The hearing will be broadcast on indian.senate.gov. The feed goes live shortly before the start of the hearing.

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice

Legislative Hearing to receive testimony on S.2098, S.1055 & S.699 (February 4, 2026)