S. 4976

Native Children’s Commission Implementation Act of 2026

Sponsor: Lisa Murkowski

1 cosponsor

Brian Schatz

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Where it stands

Introduced Jul 14
Committee Now
Senate —
House of Representatives —
Law —

Introduced Jul 14
Committee Now
Senate —
House of Representatives —
Law —

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. (Jul 14)

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Text of the bill

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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents

Sec. 2. Definitions of Indian Tribe and Tribal organization

I Justice for Children, Youth, and Families

Sec. 101. Advisory Committee on Tribal Juvenile Justice

Sec. 102. Department of Justice and DOI study on the number and status of Native American missing children cases

Sec. 103. Alaska Native Victim Services Fund at the Denali Commission

Sec. 104. Alaska Native and American Indian family violence, prevention, services, and treatment

Sec. 105. Tiwahe Initiative

Sec. 106. Tribal justice support

II Improving Research and Data

Sec. 201. National Institutes of Health Tribal Health Research Office

Sec. 202. Improving Native infant and maternal health data

III Improving the Physical and Behavioral Health of Native Children

Sec. 301. Health Resources and Services Administration Tribal Advisory Committee

Sec. 302. Department of Health and Human Services study on the intersection of maternal mortality and domestic violence

Sec. 303. Grants to grow the perinatal workforce for Tribal communities

Sec. 304. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Tribal Technical Advisory Committee

Sec. 305. Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee

Sec. 306. Community mental health services grants for Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations

Sec. 307. Substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery grants for Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations

Sec. 308. Self-governance demonstration program for behavioral health programs for Indian Tribes

IV Environmental Health Protection

Sec. 401. Native Children's Environmental Health Protection Task Force

Sec. 402. Integration of environmental health within primary care

V Improving nutrition programs for Native children, youth, and families

Sec. 501. Tribal pilot programs for SNAP administration

Sec. 502. Child nutrition programs Tribal pilot projects

VI Addressing Homelessness in Native Communities

Sec. 601. Program for housing assistance for homeless American Indians and Alaska Natives

Sec. 602. Program for housing assistance for homeless Native Hawaiians

Sec. 603. Tribal Continuum of Care Participation Grant Program

Sec. 604. Improving Tribal participation in the Continuum of Care Program

VII Improving the Workforce for Families

Sec. 701. Strengthening the 477 Initiative

Sec. 702. Interagency agreement to evaluate on-site child care in affordable housing

Sec. 703. Set-aside of Child Care and Development Block Grant funds for Indian Tribes

Sec. 704. Requirement of consultation with Indian Tribes

Sec. 705. Native American Advisory Committee on Early Childhood

VIII Education

Sec. 801. Supporting Native American teacher training and teacher development

Sec. 802. Pilot program for Native teacher apprentices

Sec. 803. Supporting after-school programs for Native American children

Sec. 804. Promoting and strengthening Native languages

Sec. 805. Addressing the indirect administrative costs of Indian education programs

Sec. 806. Increasing access to Head Start for Native children

Sec. 807. Addressing homelessness in BIE schools

Sec. 808. Bureau of Indian Education Behavioral Health and Wellness Program

Part B of title XI of the Education Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2000 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 1139 (25 U.S.C. 2019) the following:

Text this section adds to the law

1139A. Behavioral Health and Wellness Program

(a) Definitions. In this section:

(1) Eligible recipient. The term eligible recipient means any student or staff or faculty member at a Bureau-funded school.

(2) Program. The term program means the Behavioral Health and Wellness Program established under subsection (b).

(3) Secretary. The term Secretary means the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Indian Education.

(b) Establishment. The Secretary shall establish a program, to be known as the Behavioral Health and Wellness Program, to fill existing behavioral health gaps across Bureau-funded schools, including dormitories.

(c) Services. In carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall provide to eligible recipients, subject to the availability of funding, and at the discretion of the leadership of the applicable Bureau-funded school—

(1) virtual counseling services;

(2) a hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for immediate crisis support relating to behavioral health;

(3) crisis response and support services; and

(4) such other behavioral health services as determined appropriate by the Secretary.

(d) Contracting authority. For purposes of providing any service described in subsection (c), the Secretary may enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or interagency agreement, as applicable, with—

(1) a relevant Federal partner; or

(2) an entity that has a demonstrated record of providing behavioral health services and working with tribes, Bureau-funded schools, and Indian students.

(e) Training and technical assistance. The Secretary may provide training and technical assistance to Bureau-funded schools that implement services described in subsection (c) or any other additional behavioral health services.

(f) Continuation of program. The program carried out under this section shall be a continuation of the Behavioral Health and Wellness Program carried out by the Bureau of Indian Education that terminated on January 31, 2026.

(g) Authorization of appropriations. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the program $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032.

Sec. 809. Alaska Tribal School Program