Aging Together Act

Bill: 116-s-1671
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Jones, Doug [D-AL]
Introduced: 2019-05-23
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Adult education and literacy

Aging

Community life and organization

Congressional oversight

Family relationships

Family services

Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Latest action: action_date: 2019-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-05-23
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Aging Together Act</b></p> <p>This bill changes requirements and preferences for certain grants and contracts that support multigenerational and civil engagement projects and other activities for older individuals, such as by expressly expanding eligibility for the grants and contracts to include states and area agencies on aging.</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1671 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 23 (legislative day, May 22), 2019 Mr. Jones (for himself and Mr. Casey ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to direct resources that promote multigenerational collaboration, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Aging Together Act . 2. Grant program for multigenerational collaboration Section 417 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 ( 42 U.S.C. 3032f ) is amended— (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows: (a) Grants and contracts The Assistant Secretary shall award grants and enter into contracts with eligible organizations to carry out projects to— (1) provide opportunities for older individuals to participate in multigenerational activities and civic engagement activities that contribute to the health and wellness of older individuals and individuals in younger generations by developing— (A) meaningful roles for participants; (B) reciprocity in relationship building; (C) reduced social isolation and improved participant social connectedness; (D) improved economic well-being for older individuals; (E) increased lifelong learning; or (F) support for family caregivers by— (i) providing support for older relative caregivers (as defined in section 372) raising children (such as kinship navigator programs); or (ii) involving volunteers who are older individuals who provide support and information to families who have a child with a disability or chronic illness, or other families in need of such family support; and (2) coordinate multigenerational activities and civic engagement activities, promote volunteerism, and facilitate development of and participation in multigenerational activities and civic engagement activities. ; (2) by striking subsection (g); (3) by redesignating subsections (b) through (f) as subsections (c) through (g), respectively; (4) by inserting after subsection (a) the following: (b) Grant periods Each grant awarded under subsection (a) shall be for a period of not less than 36 months. ; (5) by amending subsection (c), as so redesignated, to read as follows: (c) Use of funds (1) In general An eligible organization shall use funds made available under a grant awarded, or a contract entered into, under this section to carry out a project described in subsection (a). (2) Provision of projects through grantees In making grants under this section, the Assistant Secretary shall ensure that awards are made for the activities and projects described in each of paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a). ; (6) in subsection (d), as so redesignated— (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting that serves individuals in younger generations and older individuals after to carry out a project ; (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting , intent to carry out, or intent to partner with local organizations or multiservice organizations to carry out, after record of carrying out ; (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ; and and inserting a semicolon; (D) in paragraph (4), by striking the period and inserting ; and ; and (E) by adding at the end the following: (5) eligible organizations proposing mul­ti­gen­er­a­tion­al activity projects that utilize shared site programs, such as collocated child care and long-term care facilities. ; (7) by amending subsections (f) and (g), as so redesignated, to read as follows: (f) Eligible organizations Organizations eligible to receive a grant or enter into a contract under subsection (a) shall— (1) be a State, an area agency on aging, or an organization that provides opportunities for older individuals to participate in activities described in such subsection; and (2) have the capacity to conduct the coordination, promotion, and facilitation described in such subsection through the use of multigenerational coordinators. (g) Evaluation (1) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the Aging Together Act , the Assistant Secretary shall, through data submitted by organizations receiving grants or contracts under this section, evaluate the activities supported through such grants and contracts to determine— (A) the effectiveness of such activities; (B) the impact of such activities on the community being served and the organization providing the activities; and (C) the impact of such activities on older individuals participating in such project. (2) Report to Congress Not later than 6 months after the Assistant Secretary completes the evaluation under paragraph (1), the Assistant Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate a report that assesses such evaluation and contains, at a minimum— (A) the names or descriptive titles of the projects funded under subsection (a); (B) a description of the nature and operation of such projects; (C) the names and addresses of organizations that conducted such projects; (D) a description of the methods and success of such projects in recruiting older individuals as employees and as volunteers to participate in the projects; (E) a description of the success of the projects in retaining older individuals participating in such projects as employees and as volunteers; (F) the rate of turnover of older individual employees and volunteers in such projects; (G) a strategy for disseminating the findings resulting from such projects; and (H) any policy change recommendations relating to such projects. ; and (8) in subsection (h)(2)(B)(i), by striking individuals from the generations with older individuals and inserting older individuals .