Skip to main content
HR 6275 109th Congress House

Health Equity and Justice Act of 2006

Official title: To improve the health of minority individuals.

Introduced: September 29, 2006 See on congress.gov
Health Access to health careBlack collegesCancerChronically ill
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommunication in medicineCongressCongressional investigationsData banksDepartment of Health and Human ServicesDiscrimination in medical careDrug approvalsDrugsEconomics and Public FinanceEducationElementary and secondary educationElementary educationEnvironmental ProtectionEnvironmental healthEnvironmental justiceEnvironmental researchExecutive reorganizationFamiliesFederal advisory bodiesFederal aid to child health servicesFederal aid to educationFederal aid to health facilitiesFederal aid to researchFinance and Financial SectorGovernment Operations and PoliticsGovernment paperworkGovernment publicityHealth educationHealth information systemsHealth insuranceHigher educationHispanic AmericansHousing and Community DevelopmentIndian educationLabor and EmploymentMedicaidMedical educationMedical personnelMedical researchMedical screeningMedical statisticsMedical testsMedically uninsuredMedicareMentoringMinoritiesMinorities in medicineMinority educationMinority employmentMinority healthNative AmericansPatient satisfactionPatients' rightsPharmaceutical researchPoor childrenQuality of careRural healthScholarshipsScience, Technology, CommunicationsScientistsSecondary educationSocial WelfareStudent loan fundsTranslating and interpretingWorld health
This bill died when the 109th Congress ended
It never became law before the 109th Congress (2005–2006) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 5 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Nov 2, 2006
Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.
Oct 12, 2006
Executive Comment Requested from HHS.
Oct 2, 2006
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Sep 29, 2006
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, the Judiciary, Ways and Means, and Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sep 29, 2006
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action November 2, 2006

Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Health Equity and Justice Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for: (1) establishment of the Robert T. Matsui Center for Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Healthcare; (2) programs to improve language access to health care for individuals with limited English proficiency; and (3) programs to improve health care for patient populations that have low functional health literacy.

Provides for the establishment of: (1) a national working group on workforce diversity; (2) a technical clearinghouse on health workforce diversity; (3) a health and healthcare disparities education program; and (4) an Advisory Committee on Health Professions Training for Diversity.

Requires federal health-related programs to: (1) require the collection of data on the race, ethnicity, and primary language of each applicant for and recipient of health-related assistance; and (2) analyze such data to detect racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care.

Renames the Office of Minority Health as the Office of Minority Health Disparity Elimination.

Requires the Indian Health Service (IHS) to be administered by an Assistant Secretary of Indian Health (in place of the Director of IHS), who shall report directly to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Requires four specified federal agencies to each establish an Office of Minority Health and Racial, Ethnic, and Primary Language Health Disparities Elimination. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) an Office of Minority Health within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and (2) an Office of Minority Affairs within the Office of the Commissioner of Food and Drugs.

Establishes the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice and the Federal Environmental Justice Advisory Committee.

Provides for grants to establish health empowerment zone programs in communities that disproportionately experience disparities in health status and health care.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 7
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 6275: Health Equity and Justice Act of 2006. 109th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-6275/
MLA
"H.R. 6275: Health Equity and Justice Act of 2006." 109th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-6275/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 6275, 109th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-6275/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 6275: Health Equity and Justice Act of 2006](https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-6275/)
Report a problem