I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4222 
To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to provide equal treatment 
of LGBT older individuals, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 2, 2017 
Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. CRIST, Ms. FRANKEL of Flor-
ida, Ms. NORTON, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, and Mr. BLUMENAUER) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to provide 
equal treatment of LGBT older individuals, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ruthie and Connie 
LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 102 of the Older Ameri-
cans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (24)— 
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(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking 
the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) status as an LGBT individual.’’; 
(2) by redesignating— 
(A) paragraphs (36) through (54) as para-
graphs (38) through (56), respectively; and 
(B) paragraphs (34) and (35) as para-
graphs (35) and (36), respectively; 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (33) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(34) The term ‘LGBT’, used with respect to 
an individual, means a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or 
transgender individual.’’; and 
(4) by inserting after paragraph (36), as so re-
designated, the following: 
‘‘(37) The term ‘minority’, used with respect to 
an individual, includes a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or 
transgender individual.’’. 
(b) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 
215(e)(1)(J) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 
U.S.C. 3020e–1(e)(1)(J)) is amended by striking ‘‘minori-
ties’’ and inserting ‘‘minority individuals’’. 
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SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION ON AGING. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF ADMINISTRATION.—Section 
201 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3011) 
is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d)(3)(J), by inserting before 
the semicolon the following: ‘‘, including the effec-
tiveness of such services in meeting the needs of 
LGBT older individuals’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) The Assistant Secretary is authorized to des-
ignate within the Administration a person to have respon-
sibility for addressing issues affecting LGBT older individ-
uals.’’. 
(b) FUNCTIONS OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.—Section 
202 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3012) 
is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (16)(A)(ii), by inserting 
‘‘, and separately specifying the number of such 
individuals who are LGBT individuals’’ before 
the semicolon; 
(B) in paragraph (30), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 
and inserting a semicolon; 
(C) in paragraph (31), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(32) conduct studies and collect data to deter-
mine the services that are needed by LGBT older in-
dividuals.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g)(1) The Assistant Secretary shall, directly or by 
grant or contract, establish and operate the National Re-
source 
Center 
on 
Lesbian, 
Gay, 
Bisexual, 
and 
Transgender Aging (in this subsection referred to as the 
‘Center’). 
‘‘(2) To address the unique challenges faced by 
LGBT older individuals, the Center shall provide national, 
State, and local organizations, including those with a pri-
mary mission of serving LGBT individuals and those with 
a primary mission of serving older individuals, with the 
information and technical assistance the organizations 
need to effectively serve LGBT older individuals. 
‘‘(3) The Center shall have 3 primary objectives, con-
sisting of— 
‘‘(A) educating aging services organizations 
about the existence and special needs of LGBT older 
individuals; 
‘‘(B) sensitizing LGBT organizations about the 
existence and special needs of older individuals; and 
‘‘(C) providing educational resources to LGBT 
older individuals and their caregivers. 
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‘‘(4)(A) To be eligible to receive funds under this sub-
section, an entity— 
‘‘(i) shall have demonstrated expertise in work-
ing with organizations or individuals on issues af-
fecting LGBT individuals; 
‘‘(ii) shall have documented experience in pro-
viding training and technical assistance on a na-
tional basis or a formal relationship with an organi-
zation that has that experience; and 
‘‘(iii) shall meet such other criteria as the As-
sistant Secretary shall issue. 
‘‘(B) To be eligible to receive funds under this sub-
section, an entity shall submit an application to the Assist-
ant Secretary at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Assistant Secretary may 
require. 
‘‘(5) The Assistant Secretary shall make available to 
the Center on an annual basis such resources as are nec-
essary for the Center to carry out effectively the functions 
of the Center under this Act and not less than the amount 
of resources made available to the National Resource Cen-
ter on LGBT Aging, existing on the day before the date 
of enactment of the Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder 
Americans Act of 2017, for fiscal year 2018. 
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‘‘(6) The Assistant Secretary shall develop and issue 
operating standards and reporting requirements for the 
Center.’’. 
(c) REPORTS.—Section 207 of the Older Americans 
Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3018) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(3), by inserting ‘‘LGBT 
individuals,’’ after ‘‘low-income individuals,’’; 
(2) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, and 
separately specify the number of such individ-
uals who are LGBT individuals’’ before the 
semicolon; 
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and 
(5) as paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 
following: 
‘‘(4) the effectiveness of such activities in as-
sisting LGBT individuals;’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) The Assistant Secretary shall ensure that— 
‘‘(1) no individual will be required to provide in-
formation regarding the sexual orientation or gender 
identity of the individual as a condition of partici-
pating in activities or receiving services under this 
Act; and 
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‘‘(2) no agency or other entity providing activi-
ties or services under this Act that receives, for the 
purposes of this Act, information regarding the sex-
ual orientation or gender identity of an individual 
will disclose the information in any form that would 
permit such individual to be identified. 
‘‘(e) The Assistant Secretary shall develop appro-
priate protocols, demonstrations, tools, or guidance for use 
by State agencies and area agencies on aging, to ensure 
successful implementation of data collection requirements 
under section 201(d)(3)(J), paragraphs (16)(A)(ii) and 
(29) of section 202(a), subsections (a)(3), (c)(1), and 
(c)(4), and section 307(a)(6), relating to LGBT individ-
uals. 
‘‘(f) The Assistant Secretary shall determine when 
the data collection requirements described in subsection 
(e) shall apply, taking into consideration the complexity 
and importance of each requirement, but each requirement 
shall apply not later than 1 year after the date of enact-
ment of the Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans 
Act of 2017.’’. 
SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR STATE AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS 
ON AGING. 
Section 301(a)(2) of the Older Americans Act of 
1965 (42 U.S.C. 3021(a)(2)) is amended— 
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(1) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 
and inserting a semicolon; 
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as sub-
paragraph (G); and 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(F) organizations that serve LGBT indi-
viduals; and’’. 
SEC. 5. ACTIVITIES FOR HEALTH, INDEPENDENCE, AND 
LONGEVITY. 
Section 411(a)(11) of the Older Americans Act of 
1965 (42 U.S.C. 3032(a)(11)) is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(11) conducting activities of national signifi-
cance to promote quality and continuous improve-
ment in the support and services provided to individ-
uals with greatest social need, through activities that 
include needs assessment, program development and 
evaluation, training, technical assistance, and re-
search, concerning— 
‘‘(A) addressing physical and mental 
health, disabilities, and health disparities; 
‘‘(B) providing long-term care, including 
in-home and community-based care; 
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‘‘(C) providing informal care, and formal 
care in a facility setting; 
‘‘(D) providing access to culturally respon-
sive health and human services; and 
‘‘(E) addressing other gaps in assistance 
and issues that the Assistant Secretary deter-
mines are of particular importance to older in-
dividuals with greatest social need.’’. 
SEC. 6. DATA ON DISCRIMINATION. 
Section 712 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 
U.S.C. 3058g) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(3)— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (F) 
through (J) as subparagraphs (G) through (K); 
and 
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (E) 
the following: 
‘‘(F) collect and analyze data, relating to 
discrimination against LGBT older individuals 
on the basis of actual or perceived sexual ori-
entation or gender identity in the admission to, 
transfer or discharge from, or lack of adequate 
care provided in long-term care settings, and 
shall include the analyses in the reports de-
scribed in subsection (h)(1);’’; and 
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(2) in subsection (h)(6), in the matter pre-
ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘(A) through 
(G)’’ and inserting ‘‘(A) through (H)’’. 
Æ 
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