Title: Building Age-Friendly Communities Act
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
Building Age-Friendly Communities Act
This bill modifies an existing committee and makes other changes to incorporate age-friendly communities in federal programs and services for older adults. The bill defines age-friendly communities as those that (1) are taking steps to meet local needs for accessible housing, transportation, and public spaces, as well as for civic participation and social connectedness; and (2) have a plan to guide those efforts.
Specifically, the bill renames the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Aging as the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Age-Friendly Communities and more specifically focuses the committee's work on promoting and developing these communities. The committee must also work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and relevant federal agencies to develop recommendations for evidence-based prevention programs and home modifications to reduce and prevent falls among older adults.
In addition, the Administration on Aging may provide technical assistance to state and local governments and others on age-friendly communities.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4827 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4827

   To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to enhance age-friendly 
                   communities for older individuals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 23, 2019

  Mr. Crist introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to enhance age-friendly 
                   communities for older individuals.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Building Age-Friendly Communities 
Act''.

SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES.

    Section 203 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3013) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (18) by striking ``and'' at the 
                end,
                    (B) in paragraph (19) by striking the period at the 
                end, and inserting ``, and'', and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(20) section 393D of the Public Health Service Act (42 
        U.S.C. 280b-1f), relating to safety of seniors.'', and
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``Aging'' and inserting 
                        ``Age-Friendly Communities'', and
                            (ii) by inserting ``to support the ability 
                        of older individuals to age in place, including 
                        through the provision of homelessness 
                        prevention services, support the ability of 
                        older individuals to access preventive health 
                        care, promote age-friendly communities, and 
                        address the ability of older individuals to 
                        access long-term care supports, including 
                        access to caregivers and home- and community-
                        based services'' before the period at the end,
                    (B) in paragraph (4) by inserting ``, except that 
                the first term of a member appointed to the Interagency 
                Coordinating Committee on Age-Friendly Communities 
                shall begin not later than 1 year after the date of the 
                enactment of the effective date of this exception'' 
                before the period at the end,
                    (C) in paragraph (5) by striking ``once each year'' 
                and inserting ``semiannually'',
                    (D) in paragraph (6)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A)--
                                    (I) in clause (iii) by striking 
                                ``and'' at the end,
                                    (II) in clause (iv) by adding 
                                ``and'' at the end, and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following:
                    ``(v) identifying best practices for connecting 
                older individuals to services for which they may be 
                eligible;'',
                            (ii) by amending subparagraph (B)(ii) to 
                        read as follows:
                    ``(ii) innovations in technology applications 
                (including assistance technology devices and assistance 
                technology services) that--
                            ``(I) promote safe and accessible 
                        independent living environments; and
                            ``(II) give older individuals access to 
                        information on available services or help in 
                        providing services to older individuals;'',
                    (E) in subparagraph (E) by striking 
                ``nongovernmental experts and organizations, including 
                public health interest and research groups and 
                foundations'' and inserting ``nongovernmental 
                organizations, academic or research institutions, 
                community-based organizations, and philanthropic 
                organizations'',
                    (F) by redesignating subparagraphs (E), (F), and 
                (G) as subparagraphs (F), (G), and (H), respectively,
                    (G) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the 
                following:
            ``(E) work with the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, the National Institute on Aging, Centers for 
        Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Housing and Urban 
        Development Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, 
        and other Federal agencies as appropriate, to develop 
        recommendations, in accordance with paragraph (1), to reduce 
        falls among older individuals that incorporate evidence-based 
        falls prevention programs and home modifications to reduce and 
        prevent falls;'', and
                    (H) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(9) In this subsection, the term `age-friendly community' means a 
community that---
            ``(A) is taking steps--
                    ``(i) to include accessible housing, accessible 
                spaces and buildings, safe and secure paths, variable 
                route transportation services, and programs and 
                services designed to maintain health and well-being;
                    ``(ii) to respect and include older individuals in 
                social opportunities, civic participation, 
                volunteerism, and employment; and
                    ``(iii) to facilitate access to supportive services 
                for older individuals; and
            ``(B) has a plan in place to meet local needs for housing, 
        transportation, civic participation, social connectedness, and 
        accessible spaces.''.

SEC. 3. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES.

    Section 205(a)(2) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 
3016(a)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D), 
        and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
    ``(C) The Assistant Secretary may provide technical assistance, 
including through the regional offices of the Administration, to State 
agencies, area agencies on aging, local government agencies, or leaders 
in age-friendly communities (as defined in section 203(c)(9)) 
regarding--
            ``(i) dissemination of, or consideration of ways to 
        implement, best practices and recommendations from the 
        Interagency Coordinating Committee on Age-Friendly Communities 
        established under section 203(c); and
            ``(ii) methods for managing and coordinating existing 
        programs to meet the needs of growing age-friendly 
        communities.''.
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