IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 871 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Congress 
should enact the Older Americans Bill of Rights to establish that older 
Americans should have the right to live with dignity and with independ-
ence. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 27, 2020 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY (for herself, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. LAMB, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, 
Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. CLAY, Mr. DANNY K. 
DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. COOPER, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, 
Mr. VELA, Mr. SUOZZI, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, 
Mr. CISNEROS, Ms. WILD, Ms. NORTON, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, 
Mr. NADLER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. MOORE, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. STEVENS, Ms. 
FUDGE, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mr. RUSH, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. PINGREE, 
Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL, Mr. POCAN, Mr. 
RASKIN, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. LEVIN of Michi-
gan, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. JEFFRIES, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, 
Ms. PORTER, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. KILMER, Mr. 
GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. TONKO, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. MCGOV-
ERN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. BLU-
MENAUER, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. 
PASCRELL, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. MENG, Mr. GARAMENDI, Ms. 
LEE of California, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. SOTO, 
Ms. WEXTON, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. COURTNEY, Ms. DEGETTE, 
Mr. SERRANO, Mr. TRONE, Miss RICE of New York, Mrs. LURIA, Ms. 
DELAURO, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. FRANKEL, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. 
LARSEN of Washington, Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, 
Mr. RYAN, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. WELCH, Ms. 
GABBARD, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. SABLAN, Ms. KUSTER 
of New Hampshire, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. 
GOMEZ, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
LANGEVIN, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Ms. 
KELLY of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. 
CONNOLLY, Mr. LUJA´N, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. 
JUDY CHU of California, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. GOLDEN, Mrs. 
BEATTY, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. CASTEN of Illinois, Mrs. CARO-
LYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. 
SARBANES, Mr. MORELLE, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. EVANS, Mr. 
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•HRES 871 IH 
KIM, Mr. LEVIN of California, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. CRIST, Mr. 
SEAN
PATRICK
MALONEY
of New York, Ms. FINKENAUER, Mr. 
MALINOWSKI, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mr. CLEAVER, 
Mr. LOEBSACK, Mr. KEATING, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. SLOTKIN, and Mr. COX 
of California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Commit-
tees on Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the Congress should enact the Older Americans Bill of 
Rights to establish that older Americans should have 
the right to live with dignity and with independence. 
Whereas the percentage of the United States population that 
is 65 years of age and older, including the percentage of 
aging veterans, is rapidly expanding, with 10,000 Ameri-
cans turning age 65 every day; 
Whereas Federal policies are needed that promote economic 
well-being and quality of life for older Americans across 
many different communities, recognizing race and eth-
nicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, cultural diver-
sity, and the growing inequality between poor and 
wealthy families; 
Whereas Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older 
Americans Act of 1965 provide critical resources to aging 
Americans and their families but should be expanded and 
improved to meet growing needs; 
Whereas prescription drug prices in the United States are 
nearly 4 times higher on average than in other peer na-
tions, a burden that disproportionately falls on older 
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•HRES 871 IH 
Americans, as almost 90 percent of adults 65 or older 
take a prescription drug; 
Whereas aging Americans deserve a dignified, secure, and 
independent retirement, but nearly half of all Americans 
55 and older have no retirement benefits or savings; 
Whereas aging women (the majority of those over 65) live 
longer on average, are more likely to live in poverty, earn 
lower Social Security benefits, and are less likely to have 
pensions because of paycheck disparities, time spent out 
of the workforce for family caregiving responsibilities, 
and a greater chance of having worked low-wage jobs; 
Whereas older Americans in rural, low-income, minority, In-
dian country, and other underserved communities may be 
especially vulnerable because of a lack of access to needed 
and affordable services that allow them to remain in their 
communities, including adequate transportation, func-
tioning technology, and protected voting rights; 
Whereas 5,140,000 older Americans lived in poverty in 2018; 
5,500,000 older Americans were food insecure in 2017; 
40,000 older Americans experienced homelessness in 
2017 (a number projected to nearly triple to 106,000 by 
2030), and 1 in 5 Americans age 65 and older are so-
cially isolated; 
Whereas many older Americans are living longer, working 
longer, and enjoying healthier, more active lifestyles than 
past generations, while others are facing shorter lifespans 
and increased physical, mental, and psychological chal-
lenges; 
Whereas age-friendly movements are gaining momentum 
across the country in communities, health systems, and 
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•HRES 871 IH 
public health initiatives but are not yet fully aligned and 
coordinated to ensure maximum results; 
Whereas 70 percent of those reaching age 65 will require 
long-term services and supports and will need to rely on 
family, friends, or paid caregivers; 
Whereas by 2035 it is estimated that 1 in 3 households will 
be headed by someone aged 65 or older, but many older 
Americans face challenges in obtaining or keeping afford-
able, safe, and accessible housing; 
Whereas 6,000,000 children are being raised by their grand-
parents who require the same rights and supports as par-
ents; 
Whereas approximately 75 percent of Medicare beneficiaries 
who need a hearing aid do not have one; 70 percent of 
beneficiaries who have trouble eating because of their 
teeth did not go to the dentist in the past year; and 43 
percent of beneficiaries who have trouble seeing did not 
have an eye exam in the past year; and 
Whereas older Americans are increasingly the victims of 
fraud, scams, exploitation, identity theft, and even phys-
ical and financial abuse, that threaten their dignity, secu-
rity, and health: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that the Congress should enact the Older 
Americans Bill of Rights to establish that older Americans 
should have the right to live with dignity and with inde-
pendence, including the right to— 
(1) high-quality and affordable health care and 
long-term services and supports, through— 
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(A) guaranteed access to equitable, com-
prehensive, geographically available, timely, safe 
and dignified health care; 
(B) preserved, improved, and expanded 
Medicare and Medicaid benefits; 
(C) lower prescription drug prices and in-
creased drug price transparency; 
(D) mechanisms to allow aging in place, 
including support for family and nonfamily 
caregivers, and expansion of the direct care 
workforce; 
(E) protection against neglect, abandon-
ment, and domestic abuse; 
(F) culturally and linguistically competent 
health care and social services; 
(G) health-promoting public health policies 
and programs; 
(H) higher standards for skilled nursing 
facilities; 
(I) increased access to self-directed pallia-
tive care; and 
(J) increased access to nutritional service; 
(2) financial and retirement security for them-
selves and their families, through— 
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