109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 705

AN ACT

To establish the Interagency Council on Meeting the Housing

and Service Needs of Seniors, 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,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Meeting the Housing

5 and Service Needs of Seniors Act of 2005’’.
 †

2

S 705 ES

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

2 Congress finds the following:

3 (1) The senior population (persons 65 or older)

4 in this country is rapidly growing, and is expected

5 to increase from 34,700,000 in 2000 to nearly

6 40,000,000 by 2010, and then will dramatically in7 crease to over 50,000,000 by 2020.

8 (2) By 2020, the population of ‘‘older’’ seniors,

9 those over age 85, is expected to double to

10 7,000,000, and then double again to 14,000,000 by

11 2040.

12 (3) As the senior population increases, so does

13 the need for additional safe, decent, affordable, and

14 suitable housing that meets their unique needs.

15 (4) Due to the health care, transportation, and

16 service needs of seniors, issues of providing suitable

17 and affordable housing opportunities differ signifi18 cantly from the housing needs of other families.

19 (5) Seniors need access to a wide array of hous20 ing options, such as affordable assisted living, in21 home care, supportive or service-enriched housing,

22 and retrofitted homes and apartments to allow sen23 iors to age in place and to avoid premature place24 ment in institutional settings.

25 (6) While there are many programs in place to

26 assist seniors in finding and affording suitable hous-
†

3

S 705 ES

1 ing and accessing needed services, these programs

2 are fragmented and spread across many agencies,

3 making it difficult for seniors to access assistance or

4 to receive comprehensive information.

5 (7) Better coordination among Federal agencies

6 is needed, as is better coordination at State and

7 local levels, to ensure that seniors can access govern8 ment activities, programs, services, and benefits in

9 an effective and efficient manner.

10 (8) Up to date, accurate, and accessible statis11 tics on key characteristics of seniors, including con12 ditions, behaviors, and needs, are required to accu13 rately identify the housing and service needs of sen14 iors.

15 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

16 In this Act:

17 (1) HOUSING.—The term ‘‘housing’’ means any

18 form of residence, including rental housing, home19 ownership, assisted living, group home, supportive

20 housing arrangement, nursing facility, or any other

21 physical location where a person can live.

22 (2) SERVICE.—The term ‘‘service’’ includes

23 transportation, health care, nursing assistance, meal,

24 personal care and chore services, assistance with

25 daily activities, mental health care, physical therapy,
†

4

S 705 ES

1 case management, and any other services needed by

2 seniors to allow them to stay in their housing or find

3 alternative housing that meets their needs.

4 (3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ includes

5 any Federal or State program providing income sup6 port, health benefits or other benefits to seniors,

7 housing assistance, mortgages, mortgage or loan in8 surance or guarantees, housing counseling, sup9 portive services, assistance with daily activities, or

10 other assistance for seniors.

11 (4) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the

12 Interagency Council on Meeting the Housing and

13 Service Needs of Seniors.

14 (5) SENIOR.—The term ‘‘senior’’ means any in15 dividual 65 years of age or older.

16 SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON MEETING THE HOUS17 ING AND SERVICE NEEDS OF SENIORS.

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the ex19 ecutive branch an independent council to be known as the

20 Interagency Council on Meeting the Housing and Service

21 Needs of Seniors.

22 (b) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the Council are

23 as follows:

24 (1) To promote coordination and collaboration

25 among the Federal departments and agencies in-
†

5

S 705 ES

1 volved with housing, health care, and service needs

2 of seniors in order to better meet the needs of senior

3 citizens.

4 (2) To identify the unique housing and service

5 needs faced by seniors around the country and to

6 recommend ways that the Federal Government,

7 States, State and local governments, and others can

8 better meet those needs, including how to ensure

9 that seniors can find and afford housing that allows

10 them to access health care, transportation, nursing

11 assistance, and assistance with daily activities where

12 they live or in their communities.

13 (3) To facilitate the aging in place of seniors,

14 by identifying and making available information re15 lated to the programs and services necessary to en16 able seniors to remain in their homes as they age.

17 (4) To improve coordination among the housing

18 and service related programs and services of Federal

19 agencies for seniors and to make recommendations

20 about needed changes with an emphasis on—

21 (A) maximizing the impact of existing pro22 grams and services;

23 (B) reducing or eliminating areas of over24 lap and duplication in the provision and accessi25 bility of such programs and services; and
†

6

S 705 ES

1 (C) making access to programs and serv2 ices easier for seniors around the country.

3 (5) To increase the efficiency and effectiveness

4 of existing housing and service related programs and

5 services which serve seniors.

6 (6) To establish an ongoing system of coordina7 tion among and within such agencies or organiza8 tions so that the housing and service needs of sen9 iors are met in a more efficient manner.

10 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The Council shall be composed of

11 the following:

12 (1) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel13 opment.

14 (2) The Secretary of Health and Human Serv15 ices.

16 (3) The Secretary of Agriculture or a designee

17 of the Secretary.

18 (4) The Secretary of Transportation or a des19 ignee of the Secretary.

20 (5) The Secretary of Labor or a designee of the

21 Secretary.

22 (6) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs or a des23 ignee of the Secretary.

24 (7) The Secretary of the Treasury or a designee

25 of the Secretary.
†

7

S 705 ES

1 (8) The Commissioner of the Social Security

2 Administration or a designee of the Commissioner.

3 (9) The Administrator of the Centers for Medi4 care and Medicaid Services or a designee of the Ad5 ministrator.

6 (10) The Administrator of the Administration

7 on Aging or a designee of the Administrator.

8 (11) The head (or designee) of any other Fed9 eral agency as the Council considers appropriate.

10 (12)(A) 3 additional members, as appointed by

11 the President to serve terms not to exceed 4 years,

12 of whom—

13 (i) one shall be a Governor of a State;

14 (ii) one shall be a Mayor of a political

15 subdivision of a State;

16 (iii) one shall be a county, town, town17 ship, parish, village, hamlet, or other gen18 eral purpose local official of a political sub19 division of a State.

20 (B) Of the members appointed by the

21 President under subparagraph (A)—

22 (i) no more than 2 members may be

23 affiliated with the same political party; and

24 (ii) none shall be considered a Federal

25 employee.
†

8

S 705 ES

1 (d) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the Council

2 shall alternate between the Secretary of Housing and

3 Urban Development and the Secretary of Health and

4 Human Services every 2 years.

5 (e) VICE CHAIR.—Every 2 years, the Council shall

6 elect a Vice Chair from among its members.

7 (f) MEETINGS.—The Council shall meet at the call

8 of its Chairperson or a majority of its members at any

9 time, and no less often than quarterly. The Council shall

10 hold meetings with stakeholders and other interested par11 ties at least twice a year, so that the opinions of such par12 ties can be taken into account and so that outside groups

13 can learn of the Council’s activities and plans.

14 SEC. 5. FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNCIL.

15 (a) RELEVANT ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out its ob16 jectives, the Council shall—

17 (1) review all Federal programs and services

18 that assist seniors in finding, affording, and rehabili19 tating housing, including those that assist seniors in

20 accessing health care, transportation, supportive

21 services, and assistance with daily activities, where

22 or close to where seniors live;

23 (2) monitor, evaluate, and recommend improve24 ments in existing programs and services adminis25 tered, funded, or financed by Federal, State, and
†

9

S 705 ES

1 local agencies to assist seniors in meeting their hous2 ing and service needs and make any recommenda3 tions about how agencies can better work to house

4 and serve seniors; and

5 (3) recommend ways to—

6 (A) reduce duplication among programs

7 and services by Federal agencies that assist

8 seniors in meeting their housing and service

9 needs;

10 (B) ensure collaboration among and within

11 agencies in the provision and availability of pro12 grams and services so that seniors are able to

13 easily access needed programs and services;

14 (C) work with States to better provide

15 housing and services to seniors by—

16 (i) holding individual meetings with

17 State representatives;

18 (ii) providing ongoing technical assist19 ance to States in better meeting the needs

20 of seniors; and

21 (iii) working with States to designate

22 State liaisons to the Council;

23 (D) identify best practices for programs

24 and services that assist seniors in meeting their

25 housing and service needs, including model—
†

10

S 705 ES

1 (i) programs linking housing and serv2 ices;

3 (ii) financing products offered by gov4 ernment, quasi-government, and private

5 sector entities;

6 (iii) land use, zoning, and regulatory

7 practices; and

8 (iv) innovations in technology applica9 tions that give seniors access to informa10 tion on available services or that help in

11 providing services to seniors;

12 (E) collect and disseminate information

13 about seniors and the programs and services

14 available to them to ensure that seniors can ac15 cess comprehensive information;

16 (F) hold biannual meetings with stake17 holders and other interested parties (or to hold

18 open Council meetings) to receive input and

19 ideas about how to best meet the housing and

20 service needs of seniors;

21 (G) maintain an updated Web site of poli22 cies, meetings, best practices, programs, serv23 ices, and any other helpful information to keep

24 people informed of the Council’s activities; and
†

11

S 705 ES

1 (H) work with the Federal Interagency

2 Forum on Aging Statistics, the Census Bureau,

3 and member agencies to collect and maintain

4 data relating to the housing and service needs

5 of seniors so that all data can be accessed in

6 one place and to identify and address unmet

7 data needs.

8 (b) REPORTS.—

9 (1) BY MEMBERS.—Each year, the head of each

10 agency who is a member of the Council shall prepare

11 and transmit to the Council a report that

12 describes—

13 (A) each program and service administered

14 by the agency that serves a substantial number

15 of seniors and the number of seniors served by

16 each program or service, the resources available

17 in each, as well as a breakdown of where each

18 program and service can be accessed;

19 (B) the barriers and impediments, includ20 ing statutory or regulatory, to the access and

21 use of such programs and services by seniors;

22 (C) the efforts made by each agency to in23 crease opportunities for seniors to find and af24 ford housing that meet their needs, including
†

12

S 705 ES

1 how the agency is working with other agencies

2 to better coordinate programs and services; and

3 (D) any new data collected by each agency

4 relating to the housing and service needs of

5 seniors.

6 (2) BY THE COUNCIL.—Each year, the Council

7 shall prepare and transmit to the President, the

8 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

9 of the Senate, the Committee on Health, Education,

10 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the Special Com11 mittee on Aging of the Senate, the Financial Serv12 ices Committee of the House of Representatives, the

13 Committee on Education and the Workforce of the

14 House of Representatives, a report that—

15 (A) summarizes the reports required in

16 paragraph (1);

17 (B) utilizes recent data to assess the na18 ture of the problems faced by seniors in meet19 ing their unique housing and service needs;

20 (C) provides a comprehensive and detailed

21 description of the programs and services of the

22 Federal Government in meeting the needs and

23 problems described in subparagraph (B);

24 (D) describes the activities and accomplish25 ments of the Council in working with Federal,
†

13

S 705 ES

1 State, and local governments, and private orga2 nizations in coordinating programs and services

3 to meet the needs described in subparagraph

4 (B) and the resources available to meet those

5 needs;

6 (E) assesses the level of Federal assistance

7 required to meet the needs described in sub8 paragraph (B); and

9 (F) makes recommendations for appro10 priate legislative and administrative actions to

11 meet the needs described in subparagraph (B)

12 and for coordinating programs and services de13 signed to meet those needs.

14 SEC. 6. POWERS OF THE COUNCIL.

15 (a) HEARINGS.—The Council may hold such hear16 ings, sit and act at such times and places, take such testi17 mony, and receive such evidence as the Council considers

18 advisable to carry out the purposes of this Act.

19 (b) INFORMATION FROM AGENCIES.—Agencies which

20 are represented on the Council shall provide all requested

21 information and data to the Council as requested.

22 (c) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Council may use the

23 United States mails in the same manner and under the

24 same conditions as other departments and agencies of the

25 Federal Government.
†

14

S 705 ES

1 (d) GIFTS.—

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council may accept,

3 use, and dispose of gifts or donations of services or

4 property.

5 (2) REGULATIONS REQUIRED.—The Council

6 shall adopt internal regulations governing the receipt

7 of gifts or donations of services or property similar

8 to those described in part 2601 of title 5, Code of

9 Federal Regulations.

10 SEC. 7. COUNCIL PERSONNEL MATTERS.

11 (a) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.—

12 (1) NON-FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of

13 the Council who is not an officer or employee of the

14 Federal Government shall serve without compensa15 tion.

16 (2) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of the

17 Council who is an officer or employee of the United

18 States shall serve without compensation in addition

19 to the compensation received for services of the

20 member as an officer or employee of the Federal

21 Government.

22 (b) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the Coun23 cil shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in

24 lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of

25 agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5,
†

15

S 705 ES

1 United States Code, while away from their homes or reg2 ular places of business in the performance of services for

3 the Council.

4 (c) STAFF.—

5 (1) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Council shall

6 appoint an Executive Director at its initial meeting.

7 The Executive Director shall be compensated at a

8 rate not to exceed the rate of pay payable for level

9 V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of

10 title 5, United States Code.

11 (2) COMPENSATION.—With the approval of the

12 Council, the Executive Director may appoint and fix

13 the compensation of such additional personnel as

14 necessary to carry out the duties of the Council. The

15 rate of compensation may be set without regard to

16 the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter II of

17 chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relating

18 to classification of positions and General Schedule

19 pay rates, except that the rate of pay may not ex20 ceed the rate payable for level V of the Executive

21 Schedule under section 5316 of such title.

22 (d) TEMPORARY AND INTERMITTENT SERVICES.—In

23 carrying out its objectives, the Council may procure tem24 porary and intermittent services of consultants and ex25 perts under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code,
†

16

S 705 ES

1 at rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily

2 equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for

3 level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of

4 such title.

5 (e) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.—Upon

6 request of the Council, any Federal Government employee

7 may be detailed to the Council without reimbursement,

8 and such detail shall be without interruption or loss of

9 civil service status or privilege.

10 (f) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The Secretary of

11 Housing Urban Development and the Secretary of Health

12 and Human Services shall provide the Council with such

13 administrative (including office space), supportive serv14 ices, and technical supports as are necessary to ensure

15 that the Council can carry out its functions.

16 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

17 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out

18 this Act, $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2005 through

19 2010.

Passed the Senate November 17, 2005.

Attest:

Secretary.
109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 705

AN ACT

To establish the Interagency Council on Meeting

for other purposes.the Housing and Service Needs of Seniors, and