II 

Calendar No. 306 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1719 

To provide for the establishment and maintenance of a National Family 

Caregiving Strategy, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 8, 2015 

Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. AYOTTE, Mr. BENNET, Ms. MIKULSKI, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. COONS, Ms. MURKOWSKI, 

Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. FRANKEN, and Mr. MURPHY) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

DECEMBER 1, 2015 

Reported by Mr. ALEXANDER, with an amendment 

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

A BILL 

To provide for the establishment and maintenance of a 

National Family Caregiving Strategy, and for other purposes. 

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

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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Recognize, Assist, In3 clude, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 

4 2015’’ or the ‘‘RAISE Family Caregivers Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this Act: 

7 (1) ADVISORY COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Advisory 

8 Council’’ means the Family Caregiving Advisory 

9 Council convened under section 4. 

10 (2) FAMILY CAREGIVER.—The term ‘‘family 

11 caregiver’’ means a relative, partner, friend, or 

12 neighbor who has a significant relationship with, and 

13 who provides a broad range of assistance for, a per14 son with a chronic or other health condition, dis15 ability, or functional limitation. 

16 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

17 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

18 (4) STRATEGY.—The term ‘‘Strategy’’ means 

19 the National Family Caregiving Strategy estab20 lished, maintained, and updated under section 3. 

21 SEC. 3. NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVING STRATEGY. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

23 with the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, shall 

24 develop, maintain, and periodically update a National 

25 Family Caregiving Strategy. 

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1 (b) CONTENTS.—The Strategy shall identify specific 

2 actions that Federal, State, and local governments, com3 munities, health care, long-term services and supports and 

4 other providers, employers, and others can take to recog5 nize and support family caregivers in a culturally com6 petent manner, including with respect to the following: 

7 (1) Promoting greater adoption of person- and 

8 family-centered care in all health and long-term 

9 services and supports settings, with the person re10 ceiving services and supports and the family care11 giver (as appropriate) at the center of care teams. 

12 (2) Assessment and service planning (including 

13 care transitions and coordination) involving family 

14 caregivers and care recipients. 

15 (3) Training and other supports. 

16 (4) Information, education, referral, and care 

17 coordination, including hospice, palliative care, and 

18 advance planning services. 

19 (5) Respite options. 

20 (6) Financial security. 

21 (7) Workplace policies and supports that allow 

22 family caregivers to remain in the workforce. 

23 (c) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SECRETARY.—The 

24 Secretary, in carrying out this section, shall be responsible 

25 for the following: 

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1 (1) Collecting and making publically available 

2 information, including evidence-based or promising 

3 practices and innovative models (both domestically 

4 and internationally) regarding the provision of care 

5 by family caregivers or support for family caregivers. 

6 (2) Coordinating Federal Government programs 

7 and activities to recognize and support family care8 givers while ensuring maximum effectiveness and 

9 avoiding unnecessary duplication. 

10 (3) Providing technical assistance, such as best 

11 practices and information sharing, to State or local 

12 efforts, as appropriate, to support family caregivers. 

13 (4) Addressing disparities in recognizing and 

14 supporting family caregivers and meeting the needs 

15 of the diverse family caregiving population. 

16 (5) Assessing all Federal programs regarding 

17 family caregivers, including with respect to funding 

18 levels. 

19 (d) INITIAL STRATEGY; UPDATES.—The Secretary 

20 shall— 

21 (1) not later than 18 months after the date of 

22 enactment of this Act, develop, publish, and submit 

23 to Congress the initial Strategy incorporating the 

24 items addressed in the Advisory Council’s report in 

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1 section 4(d)(2) and other priority actions for recog2 nizing and supporting family caregivers; and 

3 (2) not less than annually, update, republish, 

4 and submit to Congress the Strategy, taking into ac5 count the most recent annual report submitted 

6 under section 4(d)(1)— 

7 (A) to reflect new developments, chal8 lenges, opportunities, and solutions; and 

9 (B) to assess progress in implementation 

10 of the Strategy and, based on the results of 

11 such assessment, recommend priority actions 

12 for such implementation. 

13 (e) PROCESS FOR PUBLIC INPUT.—The Secretary 

14 shall establish a process for public input to inform the de15 velopment of, and updates to, the Strategy, including a 

16 process for the public to submit recommendations to the 

17 Advisory Council and an opportunity for public comment 

18 on the proposed Strategy. 

19 (f) NO PREEMPTION.—Nothing in this Act preempts 

20 any authority of a State or local government to recognize 

21 or support family caregivers. 

22 SEC. 4. FAMILY CAREGIVING ADVISORY COUNCIL. 

23 (a) CONVENING.—The Secretary shall convene a 

24 Family Caregiving Advisory Council to provide advice to 

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1 the Secretary on recognizing and supporting family care2 givers. 

3 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The members of the Advi5 sory Council shall consist of— 

6 (A) the Federal members under paragraph 

7 (2); and 

8 (B) the appointed members under para9 graph (3). 

10 (2) FEDERAL MEMBERS.—The Federal mem11 bers of the Advisory Council shall consist of the fol12 lowing: 

13 (A) The Administrator of the Centers for 

14 Medicare & Medicaid Services (or the Adminis15 trator’s designee). 

16 (B) The Administrator of the Administra17 tion for Community Living (or the Administra18 tor’s designee who has experience in both aging 

19 and disability). 

20 (C) The Assistant Secretary for the Ad21 ministration for Children and Families (or the 

22 Assistant Secretary’s designee). 

23 (D) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs (or 

24 the Secretary’s designee). 

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1 (E) The Secretary of Labor (or the Sec2 retary’s designee). 

3 (F) The Secretary of the Treasury (or the 

4 Secretary’s designee). 

5 (G) The National Coordinator for Health 

6 Information Technology (or the National Coor7 dinator’s designee). 

8 (H) The heads of other Federal depart9 ments or agencies (or their designees), as ap10 pointed by the President or the Chair of the 

11 Advisory Council. 

12 (3) APPOINTED MEMBERS.—In addition to the 

13 Federal members under paragraph (2), the Sec14 retary shall appoint not more than 15 members of 

15 the Advisory Council who are not representatives of 

16 Federal departments or agencies and who shall in17 clude at least one representative of each of the fol18 lowing: 

19 (A) Family caregivers. 

20 (B) Older adults with long-term services 

21 and supports needs, including older adults fac22 ing disparities. 

23 (C) Individuals with disabilities. 

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1 (D) Advocates for family caregivers, older 

2 adults with long-term services and supports 

3 needs, and individuals with disabilities. 

4 (E) Health care and social service pro5 viders. 

6 (F) Long-term services and supports pro7 viders. 

8 (G) Employers. 

9 (H) Direct care workers or advocates for 

10 such workers. 

11 (I) State and local officials. 

12 (J) Accreditation bodies. 

13 (K) Relevant industries. 

14 (L) Veterans. 

15 (M) As appropriate, other experts in family 

16 caregiving. 

17 (4) DIVERSE REPRESENTATION.—The Sec18 retary shall ensure that the membership of the Advi19 sory Council reflects the diversity of— 

20 (A) the overall population; and 

21 (B) family caregivers. 

22 (c) MEETINGS.—The Advisory Council shall meet 

23 quarterly. Meetings of the Advisory Council shall be open 

24 to the public. 

25 (d) ADVISORY COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORTS.— 

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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 months 

2 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

3 thereafter, the Advisory Council shall submit to the 

4 Secretary and Congress a report concerning the de5 velopment, maintenance, and updating of the Strat6 egy and the implementation thereof, including a de7 scription of the outcomes of the recommendations 

8 and priorities under paragraph (2), as appropriate. 

9 Such report shall be made publically available by the 

10 Advisory Council. 

11 (2) INITIAL REPORT.—The Advisory Council’s 

12 initial report under paragraph (1) shall include— 

13 (A) an inventory and assessment of all fed14 erally funded efforts to recognize and support 

15 family caregivers and the outcomes of such ef16 forts, including analyses of the extent to which 

17 federally funded efforts are reaching family 

18 caregivers and gaps in such efforts; 

19 (B) recommendations for priority actions— 

20 (i) to improve and better coordinate 

21 programs; and 

22 (ii) to deliver services based on the 

23 performance, mission, and purpose of a 

24 program while eliminating redundancies 

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1 and ensuring the needs of family caregivers 

2 are met; 

3 (C) recommendations to reduce the finan4 cial impact and other challenges of caregiving 

5 on family caregivers; and 

6 (D) an evaluation of how family caregiving 

7 impacts the Medicare program, and Medicaid 

8 program, and other Federal programs. 

9 SEC. 5. SHARING OF DATA. 

10 The heads of Federal departments and agencies, as 

11 appropriate, shall share with the Secretary any data that 

12 is— 

13 (1) maintained by the respective department or 

14 agency; and 

15 (2) needed by the Secretary to prepare the ini16 tial and updated Strategies under section 3(d). 

17 SEC. 6. SUNSET PROVISION. 

18 The authority and obligations established by this Act 

19 shall terminate on December 31, 2030. 

20 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

21 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Recognize, Assist, In22 clude, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 

23 2015’’ or the ‘‘RAISE Family Caregivers Act’’. 

24 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

25 In this Act: 

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1 (1) ADVISORY COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Advisory 

2 Council’’ means the Family Caregiving Advisory 

3 Council convened under section 4. 

4 (2) FAMILY CAREGIVER.—The term ‘‘family care5 giver’’ means an adult family member or other indi6 vidual who has a significant relationship with, and 

7 who provides a broad range of assistance to, an indi8 vidual with a chronic or other health condition, dis9 ability, or functional limitation. 

10 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

11 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

12 (4) STRATEGY.—The term ‘‘Strategy’’ means the 

13 National Family Caregiving Strategy established, 

14 maintained, and updated under section 3. 

15 SEC. 3. NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVING STRATEGY. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation with 

17 the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, shall de18 velop, maintain, and periodically update a National Fam19 ily Caregiving Strategy. 

20 (b) CONTENTS.—The Strategy shall identify specific 

21 actions that Federal, State, and local governments, commu22 nities, health care, long-term services and supports and 

23 other providers, employers, and others can take to recognize 

24 and support family caregivers in a manner that reflects 

25 their diverse needs, including with respect to the following: 

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1 (1) Promoting greater adoption of person- and 

2 family-centered care in all health and long-term serv3 ices and supports settings, with the person receiving 

4 services and supports and the family caregiver (as 

5 appropriate) at the center of care teams. 

6 (2) Assessment and service planning (including 

7 care transitions and coordination) involving family 

8 caregivers and care recipients. 

9 (3) Training and other supports. 

10 (4) Information, education, referral, and care co11 ordination, including hospice, palliative care, and ad12 vance planning services. 

13 (5) Respite options. 

14 (6) Financial security. 

15 (7) Workplace policies and supports that allow 

16 family caregivers to remain in the workforce. 

17 (c) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SECRETARY.—The Sec18 retary, in carrying out this section, shall be responsible for 

19 the following: 

20 (1) Collecting and making publicly available in21 formation, including evidence-based or promising 

22 practices and innovative models (both domestically 

23 and internationally) regarding the provision of care 

24 by family caregivers or support for family caregivers. 

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1 (2) Coordinating Federal Government programs 

2 and activities to recognize and support family care3 givers while ensuring maximum effectiveness and 

4 avoiding unnecessary duplication. 

5 (3) Providing technical assistance, such as best 

6 practices and information sharing, to State or local 

7 efforts, as appropriate, to support family caregivers. 

8 (4) Addressing disparities in recognizing and 

9 supporting family caregivers and meeting the needs of 

10 the diverse family caregiving population. 

11 (5) Assessing all Federal programs regarding 

12 family caregivers, including with respect to funding 

13 levels. 

14 (d) INITIAL STRATEGY; UPDATES.—The Secretary 

15 shall— 

16 (1) not later than 18 months after the date of en17 actment of this Act, develop, publish, and submit to 

18 Congress the initial Strategy incorporating the items 

19 addressed in the Advisory Council’s report in section 

20 4(d)(2) and other priority actions for recognizing and 

21 supporting family caregivers; and 

22 (2) not less than every 2 years, update, repub23 lish, and submit to Congress the Strategy, taking into 

24 account the most recent annual report submitted 

25 under section 4(d)(1)— 

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1 (A) to reflect new developments, challenges, 

2 opportunities, and solutions; and 

3 (B) to assess progress in implementation of 

4 the Strategy and, based on the results of such as5 sessment, recommend priority actions for such 

6 implementation. 

7 (e) PROCESS FOR PUBLIC INPUT.—The Secretary shall 

8 establish a process for public input to inform the develop9 ment of, and updates to, the Strategy, including a process 

10 for the public to submit recommendations to the Advisory 

11 Council and an opportunity for public comment on the pro12 posed Strategy. 

13 (f) NO PREEMPTION.—Nothing in this Act preempts 

14 any authority of a State or local government to recognize 

15 or support family caregivers. 

16 SEC. 4. FAMILY CAREGIVING ADVISORY COUNCIL. 

17 (a) CONVENING.—The Secretary shall convene a Fam18 ily Caregiving Advisory Council to provide advice to the 

19 Secretary on recognizing and supporting family caregivers. 

20 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The members of the Advisory 

22 Council shall consist of— 

23 (A) the appointed members under para24 graph (2); and 

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1 (B) the Federal members under paragraph 

2 (3). 

3 (2) APPOINTED MEMBERS.—In addition to the 

4 Federal members under paragraph (3), the Secretary 

5 shall appoint not more than 15 members of the Advi6 sory Council who are not representatives of Federal 

7 departments or agencies and who shall include at 

8 least one representative of each of the following: 

9 (A) Family caregivers. 

10 (B) Older adults with long-term services 

11 and supports needs, including older adults facing 

12 disparities. 

13 (C) Individuals with disabilities. 

14 (D) Advocates for family caregivers, older 

15 adults with long-term services and supports 

16 needs, and individuals with disabilities. 

17 (E) Health care and social service pro18 viders. 

19 (F) Long-term services and supports pro20 viders. 

21 (G) Employers. 

22 (H) Paraprofessional workers. 

23 (I) State and local officials. 

24 (J) Accreditation bodies. 

25 (K) Relevant industries. 

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1 (L) Veterans. 

2 (M) As appropriate, other experts in family 

3 caregiving. 

4 (3) FEDERAL MEMBERS.—The Federal members 

5 of the Advisory Council, who shall be nonvoting mem6 bers, shall consist of the following: 

7 (A) The Administrator of the Centers for 

8 Medicare & Medicaid Services (or the Adminis9 trator’s designee). 

10 (B) The Administrator of the Administra11 tion for Community Living (or the Administra12 tor’s designee who has experience in both aging 

13 and disability). 

14 (C) The Assistant Secretary for the Admin15 istration for Children and Families (or the As16 sistant Secretary’s designee). 

17 (D) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs (or 

18 the Secretary’s designee). 

19 (E) The Secretary of Labor (or the Sec20 retary’s designee). 

21 (F) The Secretary of the Treasury (or the 

22 Secretary’s designee). 

23 (G) The National Coordinator for Health 

24 Information Technology (or the National Coordi25 nator’s designee). 

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1 (H) The Administrator of the Small Busi2 ness Administration (or the Administrator’s des3 ignee). 

4 (I) The Chief Executive Officer of the Cor5 poration for National and Community Service 

6 (or the Chief Executive Officer’s designee). 

7 (J) The heads of other Federal departments 

8 or agencies (or their designees), as appointed by 

9 the Secretary or the Chair of the Advisory Coun10 cil. 

11 (4) DIVERSE REPRESENTATION.—The Secretary 

12 shall ensure that the membership of the Advisory 

13 Council reflects the diversity of family caregivers and 

14 individuals receiving services and supports. 

15 (c) MEETINGS.—The Advisory Council shall meet 

16 quarterly during the 1-year period beginning on the date 

17 of enactment of this Act and at least three times during 

18 each year thereafter. Meetings of the Advisory Council shall 

19 be open to the public. 

20 (d) ADVISORY COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORTS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months 

22 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

23 thereafter, the Advisory Council shall submit to the 

24 Secretary and Congress a report concerning the devel25 opment, maintenance, and updating of the Strategy 

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1 and the implementation thereof, including a descrip2 tion of the outcomes of the recommendations and pri3 orities under paragraph (2), as appropriate. Such re4 port shall be made publicly available by the Advisory 

5 Council. 

6 (2) INITIAL REPORT.—The Advisory Council’s 

7 initial report under paragraph (1) shall include— 

8 (A) an inventory and assessment of all fed9 erally funded efforts to recognize and support 

10 family caregivers and the outcomes of such ef11 forts, including analyses of the extent to which 

12 federally funded efforts are reaching family care13 givers and gaps in such efforts; 

14 (B) recommendations for priority actions— 

15 (i) to improve and better coordinate 

16 programs; and 

17 (ii) to deliver services based on the per18 formance, mission, and purpose of a pro19 gram while eliminating redundancies and 

20 ensuring the needs of family caregivers are 

21 met; 

22 (C) recommendations to reduce the financial 

23 impact and other challenges of caregiving on 

24 family caregivers; and 

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1 (D) an evaluation of how family caregiving 

2 impacts the Medicare program, and Medicaid 

3 program, and other Federal programs. 

4 (e) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FACA.—The Federal Advi5 sory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 

6 Advisory Council. 

7 SEC. 5. SUNSET PROVISION. 

8 The authority and obligations established by this Act 

9 shall terminate on December 31, 2025. 

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Calendar No. 306 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1719 

A BILL 

To provide for the establishment and maintenance 

for other purposes. of a National Family Caregiving Strategy, and 

DECEMBER 1, 2015 

Reported with an amendment 

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