II 

Calendar No. 343 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1091 

To establish a Federal Task Force to Support Grandparents Raising 

Grandchildren. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 10, 2017 

Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. CASEY, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. NELSON, Ms. WARREN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. MANCHIN, Ms. HEITKAMP, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. 

BROWN, Ms. SMITH, Mr. YOUNG, Ms. MURKOWSKI, and Mr. SCOTT) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

MARCH 12, 2018 

Reported by Mr. ALEXANDER, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To establish a Federal Task Force to Support Grandparents 

Raising Grandchildren. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Grand5 parents Raising Grandchildren Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) More than 80 percent of Americans over the 

4 age of 65 are grandparents and more than 

5 2,500,000 grandparents in the United States are the 

6 primary caretaker of their grandchildren. Experts 

7 report that such numbers are increasing as the 

8 opioid epidemic expands. 

9 (2) Grandparents’ lives are enhanced by caring 

10 for their grandchildren; the overwhelming majority 

11 of grandparents report experiencing significant bene12 fits in serving as their grandchildren’s primary care13 givers. 

14 (3) Providing full-time care to their grand15 children may increase grandparents’ likelihood of ex16 periencing physical illness and mental health prob17 lems and decrease their ability to save for retire18 ment. 

19 (4) Grandparents raising grandchildren may 

20 face difficulty enrolling their grandchildren in school, 

21 medical care, and Federal assistance services. 

22 (5) The Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 

23 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) includes services that support 

24 grandfamilies, including the National Family Care25 giver Support Program. 


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1 (6) Grandparents would benefit from better co2 ordination and information about resources available 

3 to support them in their caregiving responsibilities. 

4 SEC. 3. FEDERAL TASK FORCE TO SUPPORT GRAND5 PARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN. 

6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Fed7 eral Task Force to Support Grandparents Raising Grand8 children (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Task Force’’). 

9 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall be 

11 composed of the following members, or their des12 ignee: 

13 (A) The Secretary of Health and Human 

14 Services. 

15 (B) The Attorney General. 

16 (C) The Administrator of the Administra17 tion for Community Living. 

18 (D) The Director of the Centers for Dis19 ease Control and Prevention. 

20 (E) The Assistant Secretary for Mental 

21 Health and Substance Use. 

22 (F) The Assistant Secretary for the Ad23 ministration for Children and Families. 

24 (G) The head of each Federal department, 

25 agency, or other governmental entity identified 


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1 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

2 as having responsibilities, or administering pro3 grams, relating to current issues affecting 

4 grandparents or other relatives raising children 

5 in their care. 

6 (2) LEAD AGENCY.—The Department of Health 

7 and Human Services shall be the lead agency for the 

8 Task Force. 

9 (3) REQUIREMENT.—Each member of the Task 

10 Force shall be an officer or employee of the Federal 

11 Government. 

12 (c) DUTIES.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.— 

14 (A) INFORMATION.—The Task Force shall 

15 identify, promote, coordinate, and disseminate 

16 information publicly about Federal information, 

17 resources, and best practices available, on the 

18 date of the determination, to help grandparents 

19 or other relatives raising children in their care 

20 meet the health, educational, nutritional, and 

21 other needs of the children in their care as well 

22 as maintain their own physical and mental 

23 health and emotional well-being, including those 

24 raising children in their care as a result of the 

25 opioid epidemic. 


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1 (B) NATIVE AMERICANS.—In carrying out 

2 the duties described in subparagraph (A), the 

3 Task Force shall ensure that the needs of mem4 bers of Native American tribes are addressed. 

5 (2) REPORT.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 

7 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 

8 the Task Force shall submit a report to the 

9 Special Committee on Aging and the Committee 

10 on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 

11 the Senate that includes— 

12 (i) best practices, resources, and other 

13 useful information for grandparents and 

14 other relatives raising children in their 

15 care; and 

16 (ii) an identification of the gaps in 

17 needs of grandparents and other relatives 

18 raising children in their care. 

19 (B) FOLLOW-UP REPORT.—Not later than 

20 the date that is 2 years after the date the re21 port under subparagraph (A) is submitted, the 

22 Task Force shall submit a follow-up report to 

23 the Special Committee on Aging and the Com24 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and PenVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:38 Mar 12, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1091.RS S1091

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1 sions of the Senate that includes the informa2 tion described in subparagraph (A). 

3 (3) PROCESS FOR PUBLIC INPUT.—The Task 

4 Force shall establish a process for public input to in5 form the development of, and updates to, the best 

6 practices, resources, and other useful information 

7 and the gaps in needs described in paragraph (2), 

8 including a process for the public to submit rec9 ommendations to the Task Force and an opportunity 

10 for public comment. 

11 (d) SUNSET.—The Task Force shall terminate on the 

12 date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this 

13 Act. 

14 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

15 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Grand16 parents Raising Grandchildren Act’’. 

17 SEC. 2. FEDERAL TASK FORCE TO SUPPORT GRAND18 PARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN. 

19 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Federal 

20 Task Force to Support Grandparents Raising Grand21 children (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Task Force’’). 

22 (b) OLDER RELATIVE CAREGIVER.—In this section, 

23 the term ‘‘older relative caregiver’’ has the meaning given 

24 the term under section 372(a)(3) of the National Family 

25 Caregiver Support (42 U.S.C. 3030s(a)(3)). 


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1 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall be com3 posed of the following members, or their designee: 

4 (A) The Secretary of Health and Human 

5 Services. 

6 (B) The Attorney General. 

7 (C) The Administrator of the Administra8 tion for Community Living. 

9 (D) The Director of the Centers for Disease 

10 Control and Prevention. 

11 (E) The Assistant Secretary for Mental 

12 Health and Substance Use. 

13 (F) The Assistant Secretary for the Admin14 istration for Children and Families. 

15 (G) The Director of the Indian Health Serv16 ice. 

17 (H) The Administrator of the Centers for 

18 Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

19 (I) The head of each Federal department, 

20 agency, or other governmental entity identified 

21 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

22 as having responsibilities, or administering pro23 grams, relating to the current health, edu24 cational, nutritional, and other needs and cur25 rent issues affecting older relative caregivers, inVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:38 Mar 12, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1091.RS S1091

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1 cluding grandparents, raising children in their 

2 care. 

3 (J) A grandparent raising a grandchild or 

4 grandchildren as well as another older relative 

5 caregiver of children. 

6 (2) LEAD AGENCY.—The Department of Health 

7 and Human Services shall be the lead agency for the 

8 Task Force. 

9 (d) DUTIES.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.— 

11 (A) INFORMATION.—The Task Force shall 

12 identify, coordinate, and disseminate informa13 tion publicly about Federal information, re14 sources, and best practices available, on the date 

15 of the determination, to help older relative care16 givers, including grandparents, raising children 

17 in their care, including those raising children in 

18 their care as a result of the opioid crisis, meet 

19 the health, educational, nutritional, and other 

20 needs of the children in their care as well as 

21 maintain their own physical and mental health 

22 and emotional well-being. 

23 (B) NATIVE AMERICANS.—In carrying out 

24 the duties described in subparagraph (A), the 

25 Task Force shall ensure that the needs of Native 


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1 Americans (as defined in section 102 of the 

2 Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002)) 

3 are considered. 

4 (2) REPORT.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 360 days 

6 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Task 

7 Force shall submit a report to the Special Com8 mittee on Aging, the Committee on Health, Edu9 cation, Labor, and Pensions, and the Committee 

10 on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on 

11 Education and the Workforce, the Committee on 

12 Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on 

13 Ways and Means of the House of Representatives 

14 that includes— 

15 (i) best practices, resources, and other 

16 useful information for older relative care17 givers, including grandparents, raising chil18 dren in their care; and 

19 (ii) an identification of the gaps in 

20 needs of older relative caregivers, including 

21 grandparents, raising children in their care. 

22 (B) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 4 years 

23 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Task 

24 Force shall submit a final report to the Special 

25 Committee on Aging, the Committee on Health, 


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1 Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Com2 mittee on Finance of the Senate and the Com3 mittee on Education and the Workforce, the 

4 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the 

5 Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 

6 Representatives that includes the final findings 

7 of the Task Force, recommendations for future 

8 actions to address issues faced by older relative 

9 caregivers, including grandparents, raising chil10 dren in their care, and any other useful informa11 tion. 

12 (3) PROCESS FOR PUBLIC INPUT.—The Task 

13 Force shall establish a process for public input to in14 form the identification of, and updates to, the best 

15 practices, resources, and other useful information and 

16 the gaps in needs described in paragraph (2), includ17 ing a process for the public to submit recommenda18 tions to the Task Force and an opportunity for public 

19 comment. 

20 (e) SUNSET.—The Task Force shall terminate on the 

21 date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act. 

22 (f) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FACA.—The Federal Advi23 sory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 

24 Task Force. 


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1 (g) FUNDING.—No additional funds are authorized to 

2 be appropriated to carry out this section. The Task Force 

3 shall be carried out with funds otherwise appropriated. 


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Calendar No. 343 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1091 

A BILL 

To establish a Federal Task Force to Support 

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. 

MARCH 12, 2018 

Reported with an amendment 


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