[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 871 Introduced in House (IH)]
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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
independence.
_______________________________________________________________________
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 Michigan, Ms. Barragan, 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. McGovern,
Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Blumenauer, 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. Velazquez, 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. Lujan, Mr.
Foster, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Judy Chu of California, Mr.
Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Golden, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Sewell of Alabama, Mr.
Casten of Illinois, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Espaillat,
Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Morelle, Mrs. Trahan, Mr. Kildee, Mr.
Evans, Mr. 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 Committees
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
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
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 Americans 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 ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity,
cultural diversity, 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 nations, a burden that disproportionately
falls on older 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, Indian 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,
functioning 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 socially 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 challenges;
Whereas age-friendly movements are gaining momentum across the country in
communities, health systems, and 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 affordable, safe, and accessible housing;
Whereas 6,000,000 children are being raised by their grandparents who require
the same rights and supports as parents;
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 physical and financial abuse,
that threaten their dignity, security, and health: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is 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, including the right to--
(1) high-quality and affordable health care and long-term
services and supports, through--
(A) guaranteed access to equitable, comprehensive,
geographically available, timely, safe and dignified
health care;
(B) preserved, improved, and expanded Medicare and
Medicaid benefits;
(C) lower prescription drug prices and increased
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, abandonment, 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 palliative
care; and
(J) increased access to nutritional service;
(2) financial and retirement security for themselves and
their families, through--
(A) preserved, improved, and expanded Social
Security benefits;
(B) protection for pensions as earned benefits;
(C) assistance in establishing retirement savings;
(D) protection against financial exploitation,
abuse, scams, and digital identity theft; and
(E) job training, volunteer opportunities, and
enforcement of age discrimination in employment
prohibitions; and
(3) full participation in and contribution to their
communities, through--
(A) accessible and affordable housing and
transportation;
(B) equitable access to technology, including
expanded broadband speed, affordability, and
accessibility;
(C) social networking and other opportunities for
digital engagement;
(D) the right to vote and improved polling location
accessibility; and
(E) culturally and linguistically competent and
comprehensive home and community-based services.
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