Title: Supporting Our Seniors Act
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
Supporting Our Seniors Act
This bill establishes a commission to investigate and make recommendations on an annual basis about policies to address aspects of long-term care, such as financing options, affordability of services, and caregiver supports. The commission terminates 10 years after the bill's enactment.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4862 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4862

              To establish a commission on long-term care.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 15, 2022

Ms. Rosen (for herself and Mr. Boozman) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
              To establish a commission on long-term care.

    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 ``Supporting Our Seniors Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMISSION ON LONG-TERM CARE.

    (a) In General.--There is established a commission to be known as 
the Commission on Long-Term Care (referred to in this section as the 
``Commission'').
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) Composition.--
                    (A) Members.--The Commission shall be composed of 
                12 members, of whom--
                            (i) 6 shall be appointed by the President;
                            (ii) 2 shall be appointed by the Speaker of 
                        the House of Representatives;
                            (iii) 1 shall be appointed by the minority 
                        leader of the House of Representatives;
                            (iv) 2 shall be appointed by the majority 
                        leader of the Senate; and
                            (v) 1 shall be appointed by the minority 
                        leader of the Senate.
                    (B) Qualifications.--Each member appointed under 
                subparagraph (A) shall have experience in one or more 
                of the following areas:
                            (i) Palliative care.
                            (ii) Home and community-based services 
                        delivery.
                            (iii) Labor and workforce development.
                            (iv) Aging and geriatrics.
                            (v) Advocating for the disability 
                        community.
                            (vi) Long-term care insurance.
                            (vii) Advocating for patients and 
                        caregivers.
                    (C) Diversity of qualifications.--
                            (i) In general.--In making appointments to 
                        the Commission under subparagraph (A), the 
                        President and the congressional leaders shall 
                        make every effort to select individuals whose 
                        qualifications are not already represented by 
                        other members of the Commission.
                            (ii) Representation of all qualification 
                        areas.--If no member of the Commission has 
                        experience in an area identified in 
                        subparagraph (B), the Secretary of Health and 
                        Human Services shall appoint an agency detailee 
                        or stakeholder representative who has 
                        experience in such area to be present for all 
                        meetings of the Commission.
            (2) Date of appointments.--The appointments of the members 
        of the Commission shall be made not later than 90 days after 
        the date of enactment of this Act.
            (3) Member terms; vacancies.--
                    (A) Member terms.--Members shall be appointed to 
                the Commission for terms of 6 years (in the case of 
                members appointed by the President) and 4 years (in the 
                case of all other members). There shall be no 
                limitation on the number of terms a member may be 
                appointed for.
                    (B) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Commission shall 
                not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same 
                manner as the original appointment.
            (4) Chairperson.--The President shall select a Chairperson 
        for the Commission from among its members.
    (c) Meetings.--
            (1) Initial meeting.--Not later than 60 days after the date 
        on which a majority of the members of the Commission have been 
        appointed, the Commission shall hold its first meeting.
            (2) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call of the 
        Chairperson.
            (3) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission 
        shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may 
        hold hearings.
    (d) Duties of the Commission.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission shall not later than 1 year 
        after the date of enactment of this Act, and on a yearly basis 
        thereafter, submit policy recommendations to Congress, the 
        President, appropriate Federal agencies, and the public with 
        respect to the following:
                    (A) Long-term care coverage for non-Medicaid 
                eligible population.
                    (B) Considerations for aging in place.
                    (C) Financing options for long-term care for low 
                and middle income individuals.
                    (D) Caregiver supports and workforce stability and 
                preparedness.
                    (E) Access to comprehensive care, including 
                geriatric care as appropriate, coordination of medical 
                and personal care needs, access to palliative care as 
                needed, including both concurrently with curative 
                treatment for serious illness or injury and as hospice 
                end-of-life care.
                    (F) Affordability of services.
                    (G) Considerations for children and non-senior 
                adults with disabilities.
                    (H) Support for adult children caring for aging 
                parents, including through health benefits, tax 
                credits, and other tax incentives for caregivers who 
                are not able to claim their parents as dependents for 
                tax purposes.
                    (I) Integrating meals, access to basic services, 
                wraparound community services.
                    (J) Reducing hospitalization costs through 
                increased access to home-based services, including with 
                options through the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
            (2) Interaction with outside groups.--In developing the 
        recommendations under paragraph (1), the Commission shall 
        regularly consult with--
                    (A) a wide variety of stakeholder groups;
                    (B) the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and 
                the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission; 
                and
                    (C) State and county aging agencies.
            (3) Federal agency response.--Not later than 6 months after 
        the submission of a report required under paragraph (1), any 
        Federal agency that is affected by a recommendation described 
        in the report shall submit to Congress a report containing the 
        response of the Federal agency to the recommendation and the 
        plans of the Federal agency to address the recommendation.
    (e) Powers of the Commission.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission may hold such hearings, sit 
        and act at such times and places, take such testimony, and 
        receive such evidence as the Commission considers advisable to 
        carry out this Act. The Commission shall have the authority to 
        exercise these powers via video conference or other remote 
        technology as it determines to be appropriate.
            (2) Information from federal agencies.--The Commission may 
        secure directly from any Federal department or agency such 
        information as the Commission considers necessary to carry out 
        this Act. Upon request of the Chairperson of the Commission, 
        the head of such department or agency shall furnish such 
        information to the Commission.
            (3) Postal services.--The Commission may use the United 
        States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions 
        as other departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
            (4) Gifts.--The Commission may accept, use, and dispose of 
        gifts or donations of services or property so long as such 
        gifts or donations are publicly disclosed.
    (f) Commission Personnel Matters.--
            (1) Travel expenses.--The members of the Commission shall 
        be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
        subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies 
        under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
        Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business 
        in the performance of services for the Commission.
            (2) Staff.--
                    (A) In general.--The Chairperson of the Commission 
                may, without regard to the civil service laws and 
                regulations, appoint and terminate an executive 
                director and such other additional personnel as may be 
                necessary to enable the Commission to perform its 
                duties. The employment of an executive director shall 
                be subject to confirmation by the Commission.
                    (B) Compensation.--The Chairperson of the 
                Commission may fix the compensation of the executive 
                director and other personnel without regard to chapter 
                51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United 
                States Code, relating to classification of positions 
                and General Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of 
                pay for the executive director and other personnel may 
                not exceed the rate payable for level V of the 
                Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.
            (3) Detail of government employees.--At the discretion of 
        the relevant agency, any Federal Government employee may be 
        detailed to the Commission without reimbursement, and such 
        detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil service 
        status or privilege.
            (4) Procurement of temporary and intermittent services.--
        The Chairperson of the Commission may procure temporary and 
        intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United 
        States Code, at rates for individuals that do not exceed the 
        daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 
        level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such 
        title.
    (g) Termination of the Commission.--The Commission shall terminate 
on the date that is 10 years after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this Act.
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