(B) professional and lay people who are
working in the field of aging, and
(C) representatives of the general public,
particularly older individuals.
(2) SELECTION OF DELEGATES.—The delegates
shall be selected without regard to political affili-
ation or past partisan activity and shall, to the best
of the appointing authority’s ability, be representa-
tive of the spectrum of thought in the field of aging.
Delegates shall include individuals who are profes-
sionals, individuals who are nonprofessional, minor-
ity individuals, and individuals from low-income fam-
ilies. A majority of delegates shall be aged 55 or
older.
SEC 302. CONFERENCE ADMINISTRATION.
(a) ADMINISTRATION.—In administering this section,
the Secretary shall—
(1) provide written notice to all members of the
Policy Committee of each meeting, hearing, or work-
ing session of the Policy Committee not later than
48 hours before the occurrence of such meeting,
hearing, or working session,
(2) request the cooperation and assistance of
the heads of such other Federal departments and
agencies as may be appropriate in the carrying out
of this section,
(3) furnish all reasonable assistance, including
financial assistance, to State agencies on aging and
to area agencies on aging, and to other appropriate
organizations (including organizations representing
older Indians), to enable them to organize and con-
duct conferences and other activities in conjunction
with the Conference (including activities in advance
of the Conference, as part of the process of planning
for the Conference, and activities subsequent to the
Conference in connection with dissemination, discus-
sion, and implementation of recommendations of the
Conference);
(4) make available for public comment a pro-
posed agenda, prepared by the Policy Committee, for
the Conference which will reflect to the greatest ex-
tent possible the major issues facing older individ-
uals consistent with the provisions of subsection (a),
(5) prepare and make available background ma-
terials for the use of delegates to the Conference
which the Secretary deems necessary, and
(6) engage such additional personnel as may be
necessary to carry out the provisions of this section
without regard to provisions of title 5, United States
Code, governing appointments in the competitive
service, and without regard to chapter 51 and sub-
chapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to
classification and General Schedule pay rates.
(b) DUTIES.—The Secretary shall, in carrying out
the Secretary’s responsibilities and functions under this
section, and as part of the White House Conference on
Aging, ensure that—
(1) the conferences under subsection (a)(3)
shall—
(A) include a conference on older Indians
to identify conditions that adversely affect older
Indians, to propose solutions to ameliorate such
conditions, and to provide for the exchange of
information relating to the delivery of services
to older Indians, and
(B) be so conducted as to ensure broad
participation of older individuals,
(2) the agenda prepared under subsection
(a)(4) for the Conference is published in the Federal
Register not later than 30 days after such agenda
is approved by the Policy Committee, and the Sec-
retary may republish such agenda together with the
recommendations of the Secretary regarding such
agenda,
(3) the personnel engaged under subsection
(a)(5) shall be fairly balanced in terms of points of
views represented and shall be appointed without re-
gard to political affiliation or previous partisan ac-
tivities,
(4) the recommendations of the Conference are
not inappropriately influenced by any appointing au-
thority or by any special interest, but will instead be
the result of the independent judgement of the Con-
ference, and
(5) current and adequate statistical data, in-
cluding decennial census data, and other information
on the well-being of older individuals in the United
States are readily available, in advance of the Con-
ference, to the delegates of the Conference, together
with such information as may be necessary to evalu-
ate Federal programs and policies relating to
aging. In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary
is authorized to make grants to, and enter into coop-
erative agreements with, public agencies and non-
profit private organizations.
(c) GIFTS.—The Secretary may accept, on behalf of
the United States, gifts (in cash or in kind, including vol-
untary and uncompensated services), which shall be avail-
able to carry out this title. Gifts of cash shall be available
in addition to amounts appropriated to carry out this title.
(d) RECORDS.—The Secretary shall maintain records
regarding—
(1) the sources, amounts, and uses of gift ac-
cepted under subsection (c); and
(2) the identity of each person receiving assist-
ance to carry out this title, and the amount of such
assistance received by each such person.
SEC. 303. POLICY COMMITTEE; RELATED COMMITTEES.
(a) POLICY COMMITTEE.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a
Policy Committee comprised of 25 members to be se-
lected, not later than 90 days after the enactment
of the Older Americans Act of 1995, as follows:
(A) 
PRESIDENTIAL
APPOINTEES.—13
members shall be selected by the President and
shall include—
(i) 3 members who are officers or em-
ployees of the United States; and
(ii) 10 members with experience in the
field of aging, who may include representa-
tives of public aging agencies, institution-
based organizations, and minority aging
organizations, and shall include a member
of the Federal Council on the Aging.
(B) HOUSE
APPOINTEES.—4 members
shall be selected by the Speaker of the House
of Representatives, after consultation with the
Minority Leader of the House of Representa-
tives, and shall include members of the Com-
mittee on Economic and Educational Opportu-
nities and the Committee on Ways and Means
of the House of Representatives. Not more
than 3 members selected under this subpara-
graph may be associated or affiliated with the
same political party,
(C) SENATE
APPOINTEES.—4 members
shall be selected by the Majority Leader of the
Senate, after consultation with the Minority
Leader of the Senate, and shall include mem-
bers of the Committee on Labor and Human
Resources and the Special Committee on Aging
of the Senate. Not more than 3 members se-
lected under this subparagraph may be associ-
ated or affiliated with the same political party.
(D) JOINT APPOINTEES.—4 members shall
be selected jointly by the Speaker of the House
of Representatives and the Majority Leader of
(D) establish the number of delegates to be
selected under section 301(d)(2); and
(E) formulate and approve the initial re-
port of the Conference in accordance with sec-
tion 304.
(3) QUORUM; 
COMMITTEE
VOTING; 
CHAIR-
PERSON.—
(A) QUORUM.—13 members shall con-
stitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting
the business of the Policy Committee, except
that 17 members shall constitute a quorum for
purposes of approving the agenda required by
paragraph (2)(B) and the report required by
paragraph (2)(E).
(B) VOTING.—The Policy Committee shall
act by the vote of the majority of the members
present.
(C) CHAIRPERSON.—The President shall
select a chairperson from among the members
of the Policy Committee. The chairperson may
vote only to break a tie vote of the other mem-
bers of the Policy Committee.
(b) OTHER COMMITTEES.—The Secretary may estab-
lish such other committees, including technical commit-
tees, as may be necessary to assist in the planning, con-
ducting, and reviewing of the Conference.
(c) COMPOSITION OF COMMITTEES.—Each commit-
tee established under subsection (b) shall be composed of
professionals and public members, and shall include indi-
viduals from low-income families, and individuals who are
Native Americans. Appropriate efforts shall be made to
include individuals who are members of minority
groups. A majority of the public members of each such
committee shall be 55 years of age or older.
(d) COMPENSATION.—Appointed members of any
such committee (other than any officers or employees of
the Federal Government), while attending conferences or
meetings of the committee or otherwise serving at the re-
quest of the Secretary, shall be entitled to receive com-
pensation at a rate to be fixed by the Secretary, but not
to exceed the daily prescribed rate for GS–18 under sec-
tion 5332 of title 5, United States Code (including travel
time). While away from their homes or regular places of
business, such members may be allowed travel expenses,
including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized
under section 5708 of such title for persons employed
intermittently in Federal Government service.
SEC 304. REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE.
(a) PROPOSED REPORT.—A proposed report of the
Conference, which shall include a statement of comprehen-
sive coherent national policy on aging together with rec-
ommendations for the implementation of the policy, shall
be published and submitted to the chief executive officers
of the States not later than 90 days following the date
on which the Conference is adjourned. The findings and
recommendations included in the published proposed re-
port shall be immediately available to the public.
(b) RESPONSE TO PROPOSED REPORT.—The chief
executive officers of the States, after reviewing and solicit-
ing recommendations and comments on the report of the
Conference, shall submit to the Policy Committee, not
later than 90 days after receiving the report, their views
and findings on the recommendations of the Conference.
(c) REPORTS.—
(1) INITIAL
REPORT.—The Policy Committee
shall, after reviewing the views and recommenda-
tions of the chief executive officers of the States,
prepare and approve an initial report of the Con-
ference, which shall include a compilation of the ac-
tions of the chief executive officers of the States and
take into consideration the views and findings of
such officers.
(2) PUBLICATION OF INITIAL REPORT; FINAL
REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after such initial
report is transmitted by the Policy Committee, the
Secretary shall publish such initial report in the
Federal Register. The Secretary shall republish a
final report together with such additional views and
recommendations as the Secretary considers to be
appropriate.
(d) RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE POLICY COMMIT-
TEE.—The Policy Committee shall, within 90 days after
submission of the views of the chief executive officers of
the States, publish and transmit to the President and to
the Congress recommendations for the administrative ac-
tion and the legislation necessary to implement the rec-
ommendations contained within the report.
SEC. 305. DEFINITIONS.
For the purposes of this title—
(1) the term ‘‘area agency on aging’’ has the
meaning given the term in section 102 of the Older
Americans Act of 1965,
(2) the term ‘‘State agency on aging’’ means
the State agency designated under section 305(a)(1)
of the Act,
(3) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services,
(4) the term ‘‘Conference’’ means the White
House Conference on Aging, and
(5) the term ‘‘State’’ means any of the several
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin
Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mari-
ana Islands, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands.
SEC. 306. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fis-
cal years 2005 through 2007 to carry out this title.
(2) CONTRACTS.—Authority to enter into con-
tracts under this title shall be effective only to the
extent, or in such amounts as are, provided in ad-
vance in appropriation Acts.
(b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (3), funds appropriated to carry out this title
and funds received as gifts under section 303(c)
shall remain available for obligation or expenditure
until the expiration of the 1-year period beginning
on the date the Conference adjourns.
(2) UNOBLIGATED FUNDS.—Except as provided
in paragraph (3), any such funds neither expended
nor obligated before the expiration of the 1-year pe-
riod beginning on the date the Conference adjourns
shall be available to carry out the Older Americans
Act of 1965.
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