Reducing Bureaucracy and Burden for Native American Programs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), is proposing amendments to the regulations governing the Native American Programs Act (NAPA), codified at 45 CFR Part 1336. The core objective is to streamline federal oversight by eliminating rules deemed unnecessary, outdated, or redundant within the existing regulatory framework. This proposed rulemaking (NPRM) does not introduce new substantive requirements but instead focuses on regulatory housekeeping — removing provisions that no longer reflect current law, policy, or operational realities for tribal and Native American community programs. The intent is to reduce compliance burdens on tribal organizations and grantees that receive federal funding under NAPA. As required by 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(4), a plain language summary of this NPRM will be made available on the federal rulemaking portal at regulations.gov. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed changes before any final rule is issued. If finalized, this rule would simplify the regulatory environment for Native American programs administered by ACF, potentially reducing administrative overhead for tribes, tribal organizations, and Alaska Native entities that interact with these regulations.

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