Strengthening Social Connections Act of 2021

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 410 Making emergency supplemental appropriations for social isolation services under the Older Americans Act of 1965. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 24, 2021 Ms. SMITH (for herself and Mrs. GILLIBRAND) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations A BILL Making emergency supplemental appropriations for social isolation services under the Older Americans Act of 1965. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening Social 4 Connections Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS. 6 The following sums are hereby appropriated, out of 7 any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 8 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, and for 9 other purposes, namely: 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:45 Feb 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S410.IS S410 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 410 IS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN 1 SERVICES 2 ADMINISTRATION FOR COMMUNITY LIVING 3 AGING AND DISABILITY SERVICES PROGRAMS 4 For an additional amount for ‘‘Aging and Disability 5 Services Programs’’, for carrying out the Older Americans 6 Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) (‘‘OAA’’), 7 $104,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 8 2022, of which— 9 (1) $80,000,000 shall be made available for 10 supportive services under part B of title III of such 11 Act (42 U.S.C. 3030d et seq.), provided that such 12 amount made available under this paragraph shall 13 be made available for prevention and mitigation ac- 14 tivities focused on addressing extended social isola- 15 tion among older individuals, which may include ac- 16 tivities for investments in technological equipment 17 and solutions or other strategies aimed at alleviating 18 the negative health effects of social isolation due to 19 long-term stay-at-home recommendations for older 20 individuals for the duration of the coronavirus pan- 21 demic; 22 (2) $18,000,000 shall be made available for ac- 23 tivities authorized under sections 202(a)(33), 24 202(b)(11), and 411(a)(18) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:45 Feb 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S410.IS S410 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 410 IS 3012(a)(33), 3012(b)(11), and 3032(a)(18)), pro- 1 vided that such amount made available under this 2 paragraph shall be made available for— 3 (A) technical assistance to State agencies, 4 area agencies on aging, aging services and nu- 5 trition providers, and other community groups, 6 to reduce the negative health effects of social 7 isolation and loneliness among older individuals 8 by promoting social engagement; and 9 (B) coordinated efforts to prioritize activi- 10 ties that prevent and address social isolation 11 and loneliness among a wide range of older in- 12 dividuals, including activities for strategies that 13 identify best practices, support demonstration 14 of innovative approaches in the aging services 15 network, conduct public education, develop 16 partnerships and collaborations to advance pro- 17 gram objectives, or enhance the capacity of the 18 aging network, and other activities as appro- 19 priate to mitigate social isolation and loneliness 20 among older individuals; and 21 (3) $6,000,000 shall be made available for 22 aging network support activities, provided that such 23 amount made available under this paragraph shall 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:45 Feb 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S410.IS S410 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 410 IS be used to develop targeted outreach strategies to 1 reach particularly at-risk populations, including— 2 (A) populations targeted under section 3 306(a)(4)(A)(i)(I) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 4 3026(a)(4)(A)(i)(I)); and 5 (B) older individuals whose needs were the 6 focus of centers funded under title IV of such 7 Act (42 U.S.C. 3031 et seq.) for fiscal year 8 2019: 9 Provided, That, notwithstanding section 304(d)(1)(D) of 10 the OAA (42 U.S.C. 3024(d)(1)(D)) or any other provi- 11 sion in such Act, the requirement for a non-Federal share 12 under such section shall not apply for fiscal year 2021 13 with respect to services under part B of title III of such 14 Act: Provided further, That the amount appropriated 15 under this heading is designated by Congress as being for 16 an emergency requirement pursuant to section 17 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 18 Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A)(i)). 19 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:45 Feb 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S410.IS S410 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS