69–006 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 110–569 

SAFETY OF SENIORS ACT OF 2008 

APRIL 8, 2008.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. DINGELL, from the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 3701] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Energy and Commerce, to whom was referred 

the bill (H.R. 3701) to amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to intensify programs with respect to research and related activities concerning 

falls among older adults, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as 

amended do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Amendment .............................................................................................................. 1 

Purpose and Summary ............................................................................................ 3 

Background and Need for Legislation .................................................................... 3 

Hearings ................................................................................................................... 4 

Committee Consideration ........................................................................................ 4 

Committee Votes ...................................................................................................... 4 

Committee Oversight Findings ............................................................................... 4 

Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives .................................... 4 

New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures ............. 5 

Earmarks and Tax and Tariff Benefits .................................................................. 5 

Committee Cost Estimate ....................................................................................... 5 

Congressional Budget Office Estimate ................................................................... 5 

Federal Mandates Statement ................................................................................. 6 

Advisory Committee Statement .............................................................................. 6 

Constitutional Authority Statement ...................................................................... 6 

Applicability to Legislative Branch ........................................................................ 6 

Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation ...................................................... 6 

Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported ..................................... 8 

AMENDMENT

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safety of Seniors Act of 2008’’. 


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SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT. 

Part J of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280b et seq.) is 

amended—

(1) by redesignating section 393B (as added by section 1401 of Public Law 

106–386) as section 393C and transferring such section so that it appears after 

section 393B (as added by section 1301 of Public Law 106–310); and 

(2) by inserting after section 393C (as redesignated by paragraph (1)) the following: 

‘‘SEC. 393D. PREVENTION OF FALLS AMONG OLDER ADULTS. 

‘‘(a) PUBLIC EDUCATION.—The Secretary may—

‘‘(1) oversee and support a national education campaign to be carried out by 

a nonprofit organization with experience in designing and implementing national injury prevention programs, that is directed principally to older adults, 

their families, and health care providers, and that focuses on reducing falls 

among older adults and preventing repeat falls; and 

‘‘(2) award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of qualified organizations and institutions, specializing, or demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall prevention, for the purpose 

of organizing State-level coalitions of appropriate State and local agencies, safety, health, senior citizen, and other organizations to design and carry out local 

education campaigns, focusing on reducing falls among older adults and preventing repeat falls. 

‘‘(b) RESEARCH.—

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may—

‘‘(A) conduct and support research to—

‘‘(i) improve the identification of older adults who have a high risk 

of falling; 

‘‘(ii) improve data collection and analysis to identify fall risk and protective factors; 

‘‘(iii) design, implement, and evaluate the most effective fall prevention interventions; 

‘‘(iv) improve strategies that are proven to be effective in reducing 

falls by tailoring these strategies to specific populations of older adults; 

‘‘(v) conduct research in order to maximize the dissemination of proven, effective fall prevention interventions; 

‘‘(vi) intensify proven interventions to prevent falls among older 

adults; 

‘‘(vii) improve the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of elderly 

fall victims and older adults at high risk for falls; and 

‘‘(viii) assess the risk of falls occurring in various settings; 

‘‘(B) conduct research concerning barriers to the adoption of proven interventions with respect to the prevention of falls among older adults; 

‘‘(C) conduct research to develop, implement, and evaluate the most effective approaches to reducing falls among high-risk older adults living in 

communities and long-term care and assisted living facilities; and 

‘‘(D) evaluate the effectiveness of community programs designed to prevent falls among older adults. 

‘‘(2) EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT.—The Secretary, either directly or through awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of qualified organizations and institutions, specializing, 

or demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall prevention, may provide professional 

education for physicians and allied health professionals, and aging service providers in fall prevention, evaluation, and management. 

‘‘(c) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.—The Secretary may carry out the following: 

‘‘(1) Oversee and support demonstration and research projects to be carried 

out by qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of qualified organizations and institutions, specializing, or demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall 

prevention, in the following areas: 

‘‘(A) A multistate demonstration project assessing the utility of targeted 

fall risk screening and referral programs. 

‘‘(B) Programs designed for community-dwelling older adults that utilize 

multicomponent fall intervention approaches, including physical activity, 

medication assessment and reduction when possible, vision enhancement, 

and home modification strategies. 

‘‘(C) Programs that are targeted to new fall victims who are at a high risk 

for second falls and which are designed to maximize independence and 

quality of life for older adults, particularly those older adults with functional limitations. 


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‘‘(D) Private sector and public-private partnerships to develop technologies to prevent falls among older adults and prevent or reduce injuries 

if falls occur. 

‘‘(2)(A) Award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of qualified organizations and institutions, 

specializing, or demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall prevention, to design, 

implement, and evaluate fall prevention programs using proven intervention 

strategies in residential and institutional settings. 

‘‘(B) Award 1 or more grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to 1 or 

more qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of qualified organizations 

and institutions, specializing, or demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall prevention, in order to carry out a multistate demonstration project to implement and 

evaluate fall prevention programs using proven intervention strategies designed 

for single and multifamily residential settings with high concentrations of older 

adults, including—

‘‘(i) identifying high-risk populations; 

‘‘(ii) evaluating residential facilities; 

‘‘(iii) conducting screening to identify high-risk individuals; 

‘‘(iv) providing fall assessment and risk reduction interventions and counseling; 

‘‘(v) coordinating services with health care and social service providers; 

and 

‘‘(vi) coordinating post-fall treatment and rehabilitation. 

‘‘(3) Award 1 or more grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to qualified 

organizations, institutions, or consortia of qualified organizations and institutions, specializing, or demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall prevention, to conduct evaluations of the effectiveness of the demonstration projects described in 

this subsection. 

‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements under 

this section, the Secretary may give priority to entities that explore the use of costsharing with respect to activities funded under the grant, contract, or agreement to 

ensure the institutional commitment of the recipients of such assistance to the 

projects funded under the grant, contract, or agreement. Such non-Federal cost 

sharing contributions may be provided directly or through donations from public or 

private entities and may be in cash or in-kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, 

equipment, or services. 

‘‘(e) STUDY OF EFFECTS OF FALLS ON HEALTH CARE COSTS.—

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may conduct a review of the effects of falls 

on health care costs, the potential for reducing falls, and the most effective 

strategies for reducing health care costs associated with falls. 

‘‘(2) REPORT.—If the Secretary conducts the review under paragraph (1), the 

Secretary shall, not later than 36 months after the date of enactment of the 

Safety of Seniors Act of 2008, submit to Congress a report describing the findings of the Secretary in conducting such review.’’. 

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

The purpose of H.R. 3701, the ‘‘Safety of Seniors Act of 2008’’, is 

to amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of 

Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand programs with respect to research and related activities concerning falls among 

older adults. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

Falls represent a serious health risk for millions of older Americans. In the United States, one of every three persons age 65 or 

older falls each year. Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths 

and the most common cause of injuries and hospital admissions for 

trauma in older adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2002, more than 12,800 people aged 

65 and older died from fall-related injuries and more than 1.6 million seniors were treated in emergency departments for fall-related 

injuries. Hospital admissions for hip fractures among the elderly 

have increased from 321,000 admissions in 1988 to 327,000 in 


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2001. Annually, more than 80,000 individuals who are over 65 

years of age sustain a traumatic brain injury as a result of a fall. 

In addition to their effect on the quality of life of seniors and 

their families, falls also contribute to rising healthcare costs due to 

increased physician visits, emergency room use, and hospitalization. According to the CDC, the direct medical cost totaled $179 

million for fatal and $19 billion for nonfatal fall injuries in 2000. 

To address the effect of falls on seniors, their families, and 

healthcare costs, H.R. 3701 would focus ongoing Federal efforts to 

prevent falls among older adults by developing a national education 

campaign to reduce falls among older adults, by enhancing services 

and conducting research to determine the most effective approaches 

to preventing and treating falls among older adults, and by urging 

the Secretary of HHS to evaluate the effect of falls on healthcare 

costs, the potential for reducing falls, and the most effective strategies for reducing healthcare costs associated with falls. 

HEARINGS

There were no hearings held in connection to the bill reported by 

the Committee. 

COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

Tuesday, March 11, 2008, the Subcommittee on Health met in 

open markup session and favorably forwarded H.R. 3701, amended, 

to the full Committee for consideration, by a voice vote. On Thursday, March 13, 2008, the full Committee met in open markup session and ordered H.R. 3701 favorably reported to the House, as 

amended by the Subcommittee on Health, by a voice vote. No 

amendments were offered during full Committee consideration. 

COMMITTEE VOTES

Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires the Committee to list the record votes on the motion 

to report legislation and amendments thereto. There were no 

record votes taken on amendments or in connection with ordering 

H.R. 3701 reported to the House. A motion by Mr. Dingell to order 

H.R. 3701 favorably reported to the House, as amended, was 

agreed to by a voice vote. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

Regarding clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the oversight findings of the Committee regarding H.R. 3701 are reflected in this report. 

STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The objective of H.R. 3701 is to amend the Public Health Service 

Act to authorize the Secretary of HHS to oversee and support a national education campaign focusing on reducing falls among older 

adults and preventing repeat falls and to award grants, contracts, 

or cooperative agreements to design and carry out local education 

campaigns. Specifically, the legislation directs HHS to (1) develop 

public education programs on fall prevention for the elderly, family 

members, caregivers, and others involved with the elderly; (2) enVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:30 Apr 09, 2008 Jkt 069006 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR569.XXX HR569

wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with REPORTS
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hance services and conduct research to determine the most effective approaches to preventing and treating falls among older 

adults; and (3) evaluate the effect of falls on healthcare costs, the 

potential for reducing falls, and the most effective strategies for reducing healthcare costs associated with falls. 

NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX

EXPENDITURES

Regarding compliance with clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules 

of the House of Representatives, the Committee finds that H.R. 

3701 would result in no new or increased budget authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or revenues. 

EARMARKS AND TAX AND TARIFF BENEFITS

Regarding compliance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of 

the House of Representatives, H.R. 3701 does not contain any congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits 

as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of rule XXI. 

COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE

The Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate on H.R. 3701 

prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE

Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the following is the cost estimate on H.R. 3701 

provided by the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 

402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: 

U.S. CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, April 4, 2008. 

Hon. JOHN D. DINGELL, 

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3701, the Safety of Seniors Act of 2008. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mindy Cohen. 

Sincerely, 

ROBERT A. SUNSHINE

(For Peter R. Orszag, Director). 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 3701—Safety of Seniors Act of 2008 

H.R. 3701 would modify the Public Health Service Act to authorize funding for programs to detect, prevent, and treat injuries due 

to falls among older adults. The bill would also direct the Secretary 

of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention to undertake research, education, and other activiVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:30 Apr 09, 2008 Jkt 069006 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR569.XXX HR569

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ties aimed at reducing the extent and effect of falls among older 

adults. 

Based on historical spending patterns for similar activities, CBO 

estimates that implementing H.R. 3701 would cost $1 million in 

2009 and $13 million over the 2009–2013 period, assuming the 

availability of appropriated funds. Enacting H.R. 3701 would not 

affect direct spending or receipts. 

H.R. 3701 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. 

The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 3701 is shown in the following table. The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 550 (health). 

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars— 

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 

CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION 

Estimated Authorization Level ................................................................................ 3 3 3 3 3 

Estimated Outlays ................................................................................................... 1 3 3 3 3 

The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Tim Gronniger and 

Mindy Cohen. This estimate was approved by Keith J. Fontenot, 

Deputy Assistant Director for Health and Human Resources, Budget Analysis Division. 

FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal mandates regarding H.R. 3701 prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. 

ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act would be created by H.R. 3701. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the Committee finds that the Constitutional authority for H.R. 3701 is provided in the provisions of Article I, section 8, clause 1, that relate to expending funds to provide for the 

general welfare of the United States. 

APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The Committee finds that H.R. 3701 does not relate to the terms 

and conditions of employment or access to public services or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Short title 

Section 1 establishes the short title of the Act as the ‘‘Safety of 

Seniors Act of 2008’’. 


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Section 2. Amendments to the Public Health Service Act 

Section 2 of this legislation amends Part J of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280b et seq.) to add a new section 

393D, Prevention of Falls Among Older Adults. Section 2 authorizes the Secretary of HHS to establish a national public education 

campaign to reduce falls among older adults and prevent repeat 

falls. It also establishes authority for the Secretary of HHS to make 

grants or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements to assist 

State-level coalitions in conducting local education campaigns to reduce falls and prevent repeat falls among older adults. 

Section 2 authorizes the Secretary of HHS to conduct and support research in areas such as identifying older adults who have a 

high risk of falling; designing, implementing, and evaluating the 

most effective ways to prevent falls among older adults; tailoring 

proven fall reduction strategies to specific populations of older 

adults; improving diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of older 

adults who have fallen and those at high risk for falls; and assessing the risk of falls occurring in various settings. 

Section 2 authorizes the Secretary of HHS to conduct research 

concerning barriers to adopting proven fall prevention methods; developing, implementing, and evaluating the most effective approaches to reducing falls among high-risk older adults living in 

community settings, including long-term care and assisted living 

facilities; and evaluating the effectiveness of community programs 

designed to prevent falls among older adults. It also authorizes the 

Secretary of HHS to make grants or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements to provide professional education for physicians, 

allied health professionals, and aging service providers in fall prevention, evaluation, and management. 

Section 2 authorizes the Secretary of HHS to oversee and support demonstration programs carried out by qualified organizations, institutions, or a consortium of qualified organizations to conduct the following (1) a multistate demonstration project assessing 

the utility of targeted fall-risk screening and referral programs; (2) 

programs that use multiple approaches to prevent falls; (3) programs targeting newly discharged fall victims at high risk for second falls; and (4) private sector and public-private partnerships to 

develop technology to prevent falls and prevent or reduce fall-related injuries. 

Section 2 authorizes the Secretary of HHS to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to design, implement, and evaluate fall prevention programs using proven intervention strategies 

in residential and institutional settings; and, to carry out a 

multistate demonstration project to implement and evaluate fall 

prevention programs using these strategies for single and multifamily residences with high concentrations of older adults. This 

section also authorizes the Secretary of HHS to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to conduct evaluations of the effectiveness of the demonstration projects in this section. 

Section 2 authorizes the Secretary of HHS to review the effects 

of falls on healthcare costs, the potential for reducing falls, and the 

most effective strategies for reducing fall-related healthcare costs. 

If such review is conducted, the Secretary is required to submit a 

report to Congress describing the findings. The report must be subVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:30 Apr 09, 2008 Jkt 069006 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR569.XXX HR569

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mitted no later than 36 months after the date of the bill’s enactment. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, 

as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, 

existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman): 

PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT 

* * * * * * * 

TITLE III—GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES OF PUBLIC 

HEALTH SERVICE 

* * * * * * * 

PART J—PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF INJURIES

* * * * * * * 

SEC. ø393B.¿ 393C. USE OF ALLOTMENTS FOR RAPE PREVENTION EDUCATION. 

(a) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 393D. PREVENTION OF FALLS AMONG OLDER ADULTS. 

(a) PUBLIC EDUCATION.—The Secretary may— (1) oversee and support a national education campaign to be 

carried out by a nonprofit organization with experience in designing and implementing national injury prevention programs, 

that is directed principally to older adults, their families, and 

health care providers, and that focuses on reducing falls among 

older adults and preventing repeat falls; and 

(2) award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to 

qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of qualified 

organizations and institutions, specializing, or demonstrating 

expertise, in falls or fall prevention, for the purpose of organizing State-level coalitions of appropriate State and local 

agencies, safety, health, senior citizen, and other organizations 

to design and carry out local education campaigns, focusing on 

reducing falls among older adults and preventing repeat falls. 

(b) RESEARCH.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may—

(A) conduct and support research to—

(i) improve the identification of older adults who 

have a high risk of falling; 

(ii) improve data collection and analysis to identify 

fall risk and protective factors; 

(iii) design, implement, and evaluate the most effective fall prevention interventions; 

(iv) improve strategies that are proven to be effective 

in reducing falls by tailoring these strategies to specific 

populations of older adults; 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with REPORTS
9 

(v) conduct research in order to maximize the dissemination of proven, effective fall prevention interventions; 

(vi) intensify proven interventions to prevent falls 

among older adults; 

(vii) improve the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of elderly fall victims and older adults at high 

risk for falls; and 

(viii) assess the risk of falls occurring in various settings; 

(B) conduct research concerning barriers to the adoption 

of proven interventions with respect to the prevention of 

falls among older adults; 

(C) conduct research to develop, implement, and evaluate 

the most effective approaches to reducing falls among highrisk older adults living in communities and long-term care 

and assisted living facilities; and 

(D) evaluate the effectiveness of community programs designed to prevent falls among older adults. 

(2) EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT.—The Secretary, either directly or 

through awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements 

to qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of qualified 

organizations and institutions, specializing, or demonstrating 

expertise, in falls or fall prevention, may provide professional 

education for physicians and allied health professionals, and 

aging service providers in fall prevention, evaluation, and management. 

(c) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.—The Secretary may carry out the 

following: 

(1) Oversee and support demonstration and research projects 

to be carried out by qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of qualified organizations and institutions, specializing, 

or demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall prevention, in the following areas: 

(A) A multistate demonstration project assessing the utility of targeted fall risk screening and referral programs. 

(B) Programs designed for community-dwelling older 

adults that utilize multicomponent fall intervention approaches, including physical activity, medication assessment and reduction when possible, vision enhancement, 

and home modification strategies. 

(C) Programs that are targeted to new fall victims who 

are at a high risk for second falls and which are designed 

to maximize independence and quality of life for older 

adults, particularly those older adults with functional limitations. 

(D) Private sector and public-private partnerships to develop technologies to prevent falls among older adults and 

prevent or reduce injuries if falls occur. 

(2)(A) Award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to 

qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of qualified 

organizations and institutions, specializing, or demonstrating 

expertise, in falls or fall prevention, to design, implement, and 

evaluate fall prevention programs using proven intervention 

strategies in residential and institutional settings. 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with REPORTS
10 

(B) Award 1 or more grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to 1 or more qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of qualified organizations and institutions, specializing, 

or demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall prevention, in order 

to carry out a multistate demonstration project to implement 

and evaluate fall prevention programs using proven intervention strategies designed for single and multifamily residential 

settings with high concentrations of older adults, including— (i) identifying high-risk populations; 

(ii) evaluating residential facilities; 

(iii) conducting screening to identify high-risk individuals; 

(iv) providing fall assessment and risk reduction interventions and counseling; 

(v) coordinating services with health care and social service providers; and 

(vi) coordinating post-fall treatment and rehabilitation. 

(3) Award 1 or more grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of 

qualified organizations and institutions, specializing, or demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall prevention, to conduct evaluations of the effectiveness of the demonstration projects described in this subsection. 

(d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative 

agreements under this section, the Secretary may give priority to entities that explore the use of cost-sharing with respect to activities 

funded under the grant, contract, or agreement to ensure the institutional commitment of the recipients of such assistance to the projects 

funded under the grant, contract, or agreement. Such non-Federal 

cost sharing contributions may be provided directly or through donations from public or private entities and may be in cash or inkind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, or services. 

(e) STUDY OF EFFECTS OF FALLS ON HEALTH CARE COSTS.— (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may conduct a review of the 

effects of falls on health care costs, the potential for reducing 

falls, and the most effective strategies for reducing health care 

costs associated with falls. 

(2) REPORT.—If the Secretary conducts the review under 

paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, not later than 36 months 

after the date of enactment of the Safety of Seniors Act of 2008, 

submit to Congress a report describing the findings of the Secretary in conducting such review. 

* * * * * * * 

Æ 


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