HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1911        FILED ON: 1/15/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Jack Patrick Lewis and Hadley Luddy

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to LGBT and HIV-positive seniors in the commonwealth.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1911        FILED ON: 1/15/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 636 OF 2023-2024.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

_______________

An Act relative to LGBT and HIV-positive seniors in the commonwealth.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 19A of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 44. For the purposes of administering the federal Older Americans Act of 1965 and subsequent amendments thereto, the term "greatest social need", as defined in 42 U.S.C. 3002(24), shall mean the need caused by non-economic factors that restrict an individual's ability to perform normal daily tasks or that threaten the individual’s capacity to live independently. These factors shall include, but are not limited to, physical or mental disability, language barriers and cultural or social isolation caused by, among other things, racial and ethnic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or HIV status.