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.

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 460 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 independ- ence. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 31, 2023 Ms. SCHAKOWSKY (for herself, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. AGUILAR, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CARTER of Lou- isiana, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. CHU, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KEATING, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. KILMER, Mr. KIM of New Jersey, Ms. KUSTER, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LIEU, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. MENG, Ms. MOORE of Wis- consin, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PORTER, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. SABLAN, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mr. SARBANES, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. TONKO, Mr. TRONE, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. WATSON COLE- MAN, Ms. WILD, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mr. CASTEN, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, and Mr. FROST) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subse- quently 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\HR460.IH HR460 dmwilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 460 IH 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 Ameri- cans 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 eth- nicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, cultural diver- sity, 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 na- tions, 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; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR460.IH HR460 dmwilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 460 IH Whereas older Americans in rural, low-income, minority, In- dian 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, func- tioning technology, and protected voting rights; Whereas 5,802,000 older Americans lived in poverty in 2018; 5,500,000 older Americans were food insecure in 2021; 40,000 older Americans experienced homelessness in 2021 (a number projected to nearly triple to 106,000 by 2030), and 1 in 5 Americans age 65 and older are so- cially 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 chal- lenges; 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 afford- able, safe, and accessible housing; Whereas 6,000,000 children live in grandparent-headed households, and almost 3,000,000 are being raised by their grandparents; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR460.IH HR460 dmwilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 460 IH 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; Whereas older Americans are increasingly the victims of fraud, scams, exploitation, identity theft, and even phys- ical and financial abuse, that threaten their dignity, secu- rity, and health; and Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic disproportionately bur- dened older Americans, resulting in over 850,000 deaths as of May 2023, millions of cases, and increased distress in adults aged 65 and older, especially those in con- gregate living facilities: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep- 1 resentatives that the Congress should enact the Older 2 Americans Bill of Rights to establish that older Americans 3 should have the right to live with dignity and with inde- 4 pendence, including the right to— 5 (1) high-quality and affordable health care and 6 long-term services and supports, through— 7 (A) guaranteed access to equitable, com- 8 prehensive, geographically available, timely, safe 9 and dignified health care; 10 (B) preserved, improved, and expanded 11 Medicare and Medicaid benefits; 12 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR460.IH HR460 dmwilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 460 IH (C) lower prescription drug prices and in- 1 creased drug price transparency; 2 (D) mechanisms to allow aging in place, 3 including support for family and nonfamily 4 caregivers, and expansion of the direct care 5 workforce; 6 (E) protection against neglect, abandon- 7 ment, and domestic abuse; 8 (F) culturally and linguistically competent 9 health care and social services; 10 (G) health-promoting public health policies 11 and programs; 12 (H) higher standards for skilled nursing 13 facilities; 14 (I) increased access to palliative care; and 15 (J) increased access to nutritional service; 16 (2) financial and retirement security for them- 17 selves and their families, through— 18 (A) preserved, improved, and expanded So- 19 cial Security benefits; 20 (B) protection for pensions as earned bene- 21 fits; 22 (C) assistance in establishing retirement 23 savings; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR460.IH HR460 dmwilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 460 IH (D) protection against financial exploi- 1 tation, abuse, scams, and digital identity theft; 2 and 3 (E) job training, volunteer opportunities, 4 and enforcement of age discrimination in em- 5 ployment prohibitions; and 6 (3) full participation in and contribution to 7 their communities, through— 8 (A) accessible and affordable housing and 9 transportation; 10 (B) equitable access to technology, includ- 11 ing expanded broadband speed, affordability, 12 and accessibility; 13 (C) social networking and other opportuni- 14 ties for digital engagement; 15 (D) the right to vote and improved polling 16 location accessibility; and 17 (E) culturally and linguistically competent 18 and comprehensive home and community-based 19 services. 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR460.IH HR460 dmwilson on DSKJM0X7X2PROD with BILLS