SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1192        FILED ON: 1/15/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Patricia D. Jehlen

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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 the commission on LGBTQ aging.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1192        FILED ON: 1/15/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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

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An Act relative to the commission on LGBTQ aging.

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

Section 71 of chapter 3 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out subsections (a) and (b), as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, and inserting in place thereof the following 2 subsections:-

(a) There shall be a permanent commission on older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning or LGBTQ, adults and their caregivers to consist of the following members or their designees: the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on elder affairs who shall serve as co-chairs; the secretary of elder affairs; the director of housing and community development; the commissioner of public health; the director of the LGBTQIA+ Aging Project; the president of Fenway Health; the executive director of the Gay & Lesbian/GLBTQ Legal  Advocates & Defenders, Inc.; a representative of the New England Association on HIV Over Fifty, Inc.; the executive director of MassEquality; the executive director of Mass Home Care; the director of AARP Massachusetts; the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging, Inc.; the director of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, Inc.; the director of the Home Care Aides Council; and 5 members to be appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be a member of the Massachusetts bar who practices elder law, 1 of whom shall be an expert in LGBTQ public policy or research and 3 LGBTQ older adults, at least 1 of whom shall be transgender. The governor's appointees shall ensure that the commission has at least 1 representative from each of the following areas: Cape Cod, western Massachusetts, and central Massachusetts. 

(b) The commission shall investigate, analyze, and study the health, housing, financial, psychosocial, and long-term care needs of older LGBTQ adults and their caregivers and shall make recommendations to improve access to benefits and services where appropriate and necessary. In furtherance of its duties, the commission shall: (i) examine the impact of the commonwealth's policies and regulations on older LGBTQ adults and make recommendations to ensure equality of access, treatment, care and benefits; (ii) examine strategies to increase provider awareness of the needs of older LGBTQ adults and their caregivers and improve the competence of and access to treatment, services and ongoing care, including preventive care; (iii) assess the funding and programming needed to enhance services to the growing population of older LGBTQ adults; (iv) examine best practices for increasing access, reducing isolation, preventing abuse and exploitation, promoting independence and self-determination, strengthening caregiving, eliminating disparities and improving quality of life; (v) examine whether certain policies and practices, or the absence of certain policies and practice, promote the premature admission of older LGBTQ  adults to institutional care; (vi) recommend, as appropriate and necessary, lower cost and culturally appropriate home and community-based alternatives to institutional care; (vii) examine the feasibility of developing statewide training curricula to improve provider competency in the delivery of health, housing and long-term support services to older LGBTQ adults and their caregivers; and (viii) examine outreach protocols to reduce apprehension among older LGBTQ adults and their caregivers of utilizing mainstream providers.