II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 705 

To establish the Interagency Council on Meeting the Housing and Service 

Needs of Seniors, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 5, 2005 

Mr. SARBANES introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

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’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

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

9 in this country is rapidly growing, and is expected 

10 to increase from 34,700,000 in 2000 to nearly 
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1 40,000,000 by 2010, and then will dramatically in2 crease to over 50,000,000 by 2020. 

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

4 those over age 85, is expected to double to 

5 7,000,000, and then double again to 14,000,000 by 

6 2040. 

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

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

9 suitable housing that meets their unique needs. 

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

11 service needs of seniors, issues of providing suitable 

12 and affordable housing opportunities differ signifi13 cantly from the housing needs of other families. 

14 (5) Seniors need access to a wide array of hous15 ing options, such as affordable assisted living, in16 home care, supportive or service-enriched housing, 

17 and retrofitted homes and apartments to allow sen18 iors to age in place and to avoid premature place19 ment in institutional settings. 

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

21 assist seniors in finding and affording suitable hous22 ing and accessing needed services, these programs 

23 are fragmented and spread across many agencies, 

24 making it difficult for seniors to access assistance or 

25 to receive comprehensive information. 
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1 (7) Better coordination among Federal agencies 

2 is needed, as is better coordination at State and 

3 local levels, to ensure that seniors can access govern4 ment activities, programs, services, and benefits in 

5 an effective and efficient manner. 

6 (8) Up to date, accurate, and accessible statis7 tics on key characteristics of seniors, including con8 ditions, behaviors, and needs, are required to accu9 rately identify the housing and service needs of sen10 iors. 

11 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

12 In this Act: 

13 (1) The term ‘‘housing’’ means any form of res14 idence, including rental housing, homeownership, as15 sisted living, group home, supportive housing ar16 rangement, nursing facility, or any other physical lo17 cation where a person can live. 

18 (2) The term ‘‘service’’ includes transportation, 

19 health care, nursing assistance, meal, personal care 

20 and chore services, assistance with daily activities, 

21 mental health care, physical therapy, case manage22 ment, and any other services needed by seniors to 

23 allow them to stay in their housing or find alter24 native housing that meets their needs. 
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1 (3) The term ‘‘program’’ includes any Federal 

2 or State program providing income support, health 

3 benefits or other benefits to seniors, housing assist4 ance, mortgages, mortgage or loan insurance or 

5 guarantees, housing counseling, supportive services, 

6 assistance with daily activities, or other assistance 

7 for seniors. 

8 (4) The term ‘‘Council’’ means the Interagency 

9 Council on Meeting the Housing and Service Needs 

10 of Seniors. 

11 (5) The term ‘‘senior’’ means any individual 65 

12 years of age or older. 

13 SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON MEETING THE HOUS14 ING AND SERVICE NEEDS OF SENIORS. 

15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the ex16 ecutive branch an independent council to be known as the 

17 Interagency Council on Meeting the Housing and Service 

18 Needs of Seniors. 

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

20 as follows: 

21 (1) To promote coordination and collaboration 

22 among the Federal departments and agencies in23 volved with housing, health care, and service needs 

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

25 citizens. 
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1 (2) To identify the unique housing and service 

2 needs faced by seniors around the country and to 

3 recommend ways that the Federal Government, 

4 States, State and local governments, and others can 

5 better meet those needs, including how to ensure 

6 that seniors can find and afford housing that allows 

7 them to access health care, transportation, nursing 

8 assistance, and assistance with daily activities where 

9 they live or in their communities. 

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

11 by identifying and making available the programs 

12 and services necessary to enable seniors to remain in 

13 their homes as they age. 

14 (4) To improve coordination among the housing 

15 and service related programs and services of Federal 

16 agencies for seniors and to make recommendations 

17 about needed changes with an emphasis on— 

18 (A) maximizing the impact of existing pro19 grams and services; 

20 (B) reducing or eliminating areas of over21 lap and duplication in the provision and accessi22 bility of such programs and services; and 

23 (C) making access to programs and serv24 ices easier for seniors around the country. 
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1 (5) To increase the efficiency and effectiveness 

2 of existing housing and service related programs and 

3 services which serve seniors. 

4 (6) To establish an ongoing system of coordina5 tion among and within such agencies or organiza6 tions so that the housing and service needs of sen7 iors are met in a more efficient manner. 

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

9 the following: 

10 (1) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel11 opment or a designee of the Secretary. 

12 (2) The Secretary of Health and Human Serv13 ices or a designee of the Secretary. 

14 (3) The Secretary of Agriculture or a designee 

15 of the Secretary. 

16 (4) The Secretary of Transportation or a des17 ignee of the Secretary. 

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

19 Secretary. 

20 (6) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs or a des21 ignee of the Secretary. 

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

23 of the Secretary. 

24 (8) The Commissioner of the Social Security 

25 Administration or a designee of the Commissioner. 
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1 (9) The Administrator of the Centers for Medi2 care and Medicaid Services or a designee of the Ad3 ministrator. 

4 (10) The Administrator of the Administration 

5 on Aging or a designee of the Administrator. 

6 (11) The head (or designee) of any other Fed7 eral agency as the Council considers appropriate. 

8 (12) State and local representatives knowledge9 able about the needs of seniors as chosen by the 

10 Council members described in paragraphs (1) 

11 through (11). 

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

13 shall alternate between the Secretary of Housing and 

14 Urban Development and the Secretary of Health and 

15 Human Services on an annual basis. 

16 (e) VICE CHAIR.—Each year, the Council shall elect 

17 a Vice Chair from among its members. 

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

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

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

21 hold meetings with stakeholders and other interested par22 ties at least twice a year, so that the opinions of such par23 ties can be taken into account and so that outside groups 

24 can learn of the Council’s activities and plans. 
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1 SEC. 5. FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNCIL. 

2 (a) RELEVANT ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out its ob3 jectives, the Council shall— 

4 (1) review all Federal programs and services 

5 that assist seniors in finding, affording, and rehabili6 tating housing, including those that assist seniors in 

7 accessing health care, transportation, supportive 

8 services, and assistance with daily activities, where 

9 or close to where seniors live; 

10 (2) monitor, evaluate, and recommend improve11 ments in existing programs and services adminis12 tered, funded, or financed by Federal, State, and 

13 local agencies to assist seniors in meeting their hous14 ing and service needs and make any recommenda15 tions about how agencies can better work to house 

16 and serve seniors; and 

17 (3) recommend ways— 

18 (A) to reduce duplication among programs 

19 and services by Federal agencies that assist 

20 seniors in meeting their housing and service 

21 needs; 

22 (B) to ensure collaboration among and 

23 within agencies in the provision and availability 

24 of programs and services so that seniors are 

25 able to easily access needed programs and serv26 ices; 
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1 (C) to work with States to better provide 

2 housing and services to seniors by— 

3 (i) holding individual meetings with 

4 State representatives; 

5 (ii) providing ongoing technical assist6 ance to States in better meeting the needs 

7 of seniors; and 

8 (iii) working with States to designate 

9 State liaisons to the Council; 

10 (D) to identify best practices for programs 

11 and services that assist seniors in meeting their 

12 housing and service needs, including model— 

13 (i) programs linking housing and serv14 ices; 

15 (ii) financing products offered by gov16 ernment, quasi-government, and private 

17 sector entities; 

18 (iii) land use, zoning, and regulatory 

19 practices; and 

20 (iv) innovations in technology applica21 tions that give seniors access to informa22 tion on available services; 

23 (E) to collect and disseminate information 

24 about seniors and the programs and services 
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1 available to them to ensure that seniors can ac2 cess comprehensive information; 

3 (F) to hold biannual meetings with stake4 holders and other interested parties (or to hold 

5 open Council meetings) to receive input and 

6 ideas about how to best meet the housing and 

7 service needs of seniors; 

8 (G) to maintain an updated website of 

9 policies, meetings, best practices, programs, 

10 services, and any other helpful information to 

11 keep people informed of the Council’s activities; 

12 and 

13 (H) to work with the Federal Interagency 

14 Forum on Aging Statistics, the Census Bureau, 

15 and member agencies to collect and maintain 

16 data relating to the housing and service needs 

17 of seniors so that all data can be accessed in 

18 one place and to identify and address unmet 

19 data needs. 

20 (b) REPORTS.— 

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

22 agency that is a member of the Council shall prepare 

23 and transmit to the Council a report that de24 scribes— 
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1 (A) each program and service administered 

2 by the agency that serves seniors and the num3 ber of seniors served by each program or serv4 ice, the resources available in each, as well as 

5 a breakdown of where each program and service 

6 can be accessed; 

7 (B) the barriers and impediments, includ8 ing statutory or regulatory, to the access and 

9 use of such programs and services by seniors; 

10 (C) the efforts made by each agency to in11 crease opportunities for seniors to find and af12 ford housing that meet their needs, including 

13 how the agency is working with other agencies 

14 to better coordinate programs and services; and 

15 (D) any new data collected by each agency 

16 relating to the housing and service needs of 

17 seniors. 

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

19 shall prepare and transmit to the President, the 

20 Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 

21 Affairs, the Senate Committee on Health, Edu22 cation, Labor, and Pensions, the House Financial 

23 Services Committee, and the House Committee on 

24 Education and the Workforce a report that— 
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1 (A) summarizes the reports required in 

2 paragraph (1); 

3 (B) utilizes recent data to assess the na4 ture of the problems faced by seniors in meet5 ing their unique housing and service needs; 

6 (C) provides a comprehensive and detailed 

7 description of the programs and services of the 

8 Federal Government in meeting the needs and 

9 problems described in subparagraph (B); 

10 (D) describes the activities and accomplish11 ments of the Council in working with Federal, 

12 State, and local governments, and private orga13 nizations in coordinating programs and services 

14 to meet the needs described in subparagraph 

15 (B) and the resources available to meet those 

16 needs; 

17 (E) assesses the level of Federal assistance 

18 required to meet the needs described in sub19 paragraph (B); and 

20 (F) makes recommendations for appro21 priate legislative and administrative actions to 

22 meet the needs described in subparagraph (B) 

23 and for coordinating programs and services de24 signed to meet those needs. 
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1 SEC. 6. POWERS OF THE COUNCIL. 

2 (a) HEARINGS.—The Council may hold such hear3 ings, sit and act at such times and places, take such testi4 mony, and receive such evidence as the Council considers 

5 advisable to carry out the purposes of this Act. 

6 (b) INFORMATION FROM AGENCIES.—Agencies which 

7 are members of the Council shall provide all requested in8 formation and data to the Council as requested. 

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

10 United States mails in the same manner and under the 

11 same conditions as other departments and agencies of the 

12 Federal Government. 

13 (d) GIFTS.—The Council may accept, use, and dis14 pose of gifts or donations of services or property. 

15 SEC. 7. COUNCIL PERSONNEL MATTERS. 

16 (a) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.—All members of 

17 the Council who are officers or employees of the United 

18 States shall serve without compensation in addition to that 

19 received for their services as officers or employees of the 

20 United States. 

21 (b) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the Coun22 cil shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in 

23 lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of 

24 agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 

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

2 the Council. 

3 (c) STAFF.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall, without 

5 regard to civil service laws and regulations, appoint 

6 and terminate an Executive Director and such other 

7 additional personnel as may be necessary to enable 

8 the Council to perform its duties. 

9 (2) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Council shall 

10 appoint an Executive Director at its initial meeting. 

11 The Executive Director shall be compensated at a 

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

13 V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 

14 title 5, United States Code. 

15 (3) COMPENSATION.—With the approval of the 

16 Council, the Executive Director may appoint and fix 

17 the compensation of such additional personnel as 

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

19 rate of compensation may be set without regard to 

20 the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter II of 

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

22 to classification of positions and General Schedule 

23 pay rates, except that the rate of pay may not ex24 ceed the rate payable for level V of the Executive 

25 Schedule under section 5316 of such title. 
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1 (d) TEMPORARY AND INTERMITTENT SERVICES.—In 

2 carrying out its objectives, the Council may procure tem3 porary and intermittent services of consultants and ex4 perts under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, 

5 at rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily 

6 equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 

7 level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 

8 such title. 

9 (e) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.—Upon 

10 request of the Council, any Federal Government employee 

11 may be detailed to the Council without reimbursement, 

12 and such detail shall be without interruption or loss of 

13 civil service status or privilege. 

14 (f) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The Secretary of 

15 Housing Urban Development and the Secretary of Health 

16 and Human Services shall provide the Council with such 

17 administrative and supportive services as are necessary to 

18 ensure that the Council can carry out its functions. 

19 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

20 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

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

22 2010. 

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