[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5906 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5906

 To establish a Consortium on the Impact of Technology in Aging Health 
                               Services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 26, 2006

  Mr. Ramstad (for himself, Ms. Eshoo, and Mr. Kennedy of Minnesota) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a Consortium on the Impact of Technology in Aging Health 
                               Services.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Consortium on the Impact of 
Technology in Aging Health Services Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF CONSORTIUM.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a Consortium to be known 
as the ``Consortium on the Impact of Technology in Aging Health 
Services'' (referred to in this Act as the ``Consortium'').
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Consortium is to evaluate the 
potential of new technologies to help the United States prepare for the 
unprecedented demographic changes that will occur during the next 10 
years in the Nation's healthcare system.
    (c) Membership.--
            (1) Composition.--The Consortium shall be composed of 17 
        members, of whom--
                    (A) 1 member shall be appointed by the President 
                and designated by the President as Chairperson of the 
                Consortium;
                    (B) 4 members shall be appointed by the majority 
                leader of the Senate;
                    (C) 4 members shall be appointed by the minority 
                leader of the Senate;
                    (D) 4 members shall be appointed by the Speaker of 
                the House of Representatives; and
                    (E) 4 members shall be appointed by the minority 
                leader of the House of Representatives.
            (2) Qualifications.--
                    (A) In general.--Appointments to the Consortium 
                shall be made from individuals who are senior-level 
                executives from the Federal Government or the private-
                sector who have demonstrated experience as--
                            (i) providers of senior, geriatric, and 
                        other assistive services, including housing, 
                        nursing care, home-and-community based 
                        services, and assisted living and caregiver 
                        organizations;
                            (ii) technology developers or producers of 
                        products for aged individuals;
                            (iii) Federal, State, or academic 
                        researchers that focus on aging issues;
                            (iv) physicians and other health care 
                        providers;
                            (v) insurers and other payer organizations; 
                        and
                            (vi) representatives of the pharmaceutical 
                        industry.
                    (B) Inclusion of seniors and individuals with 
                disabilities.--At least 2 appointees shall be--
                            (i) age 65 or older; or
                            (ii) an individual with a disability.
            (3) Date of appointments.--The appointment of a member of 
        the Consortium shall be made not later than 30 days after the 
        date of enactment of this Act.
    (d) Term; Vacancies.--
            (1) Term.--A member shall be appointed for the life of the 
        Consortium.
            (2) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Consortium--
                    (A) shall not affect the powers of the Consortium; 
                and
                    (B) shall be filled, not later than 30 days after 
                the Consortium is given notice of the vacancy, in the 
                same manner as the original appointment was made.
    (e) Initial Meeting.--Not later than 30 days after the date on 
which all members of the Consortium have been appointed, the Consortium 
shall hold the initial meeting of the Consortium.
    (f) Meetings.--The Consortium shall meet at the call of the 
Chairperson.
    (g) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Consortium shall 
constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings.

SEC. 3. DUTIES.

    (a) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Consortium shall conduct a study of 
        all matters relating to the potential use of new technology to 
        assist older adults and their caregivers throughout the aging 
        process.
            (2) Matters to be studied.--The matters to be studied by 
        the Consortium shall include--
                    (A) methods for identifying technology that can be 
                adapted to meet the needs of seniors, individuals with 
                disabilities, and the caregivers of such seniors and 
                individuals across all aging services settings;
                    (B) methods for fostering scientific innovation 
                with respect to aging services technology within the 
                business and academic communities;
                    (C) strategies for addressing issues, such as 
                liability, reimbursement, and privacy and security 
                concerns, with respect to innovation in aging services 
                technology;
                    (D) developments in aging services technology in 
                other countries that may be applied in the United 
                States; and
                    (E) methods for ensuring that businesses in the 
                United States have a leadership role in the rapidly 
                expanding global market of aging services technology.
    (b) Recommendations.--The Consortium shall develop recommendations 
with respect to the following:
            (1) Identification of developments in current aging 
        services technologies that may result in increased efficiency 
        and cost savings to the healthcare system.
            (2) Specifications for Federal funding of on-going research 
        and development by businesses and academia to accelerate the 
        development of aging services technology in order to--
                    (A) promote the independence of seniors and 
                individuals with disabilities;
                    (B) facilitate early disease detection;
                    (C) delay the physical, cognitive, social, and 
                emotional decline resulting from disease and the aging 
                process;
                    (D) support wellness activities and preventive 
                behaviors;
                    (E) promote greater support to community- and 
                facility-based caregivers;
                    (F) develop systems that improve the quality 
                control and efficiency of facility-based care, such as 
                pharmacy distribution programs and secure electronic 
                clinical records;
                    (G) provide automation that reduces the amount of 
                caregiver paperwork;
                    (H) minimize caregiver burnout; and
                    (I) reduce medication errors and improve overall 
                compliance.
            (3) Identification of methods to ensure that necessary 
        technology infrastructure is in place to deliver aging services 
        to rural and urban areas.
            (4) Whether to establish--
                    (A) a permanent Federal interagency task force that 
                will facilitate the development and distribution of 
                aging services technology; and
                    (B) a National Resource Center that would stimulate 
                research, oversee demonstration projects, and provide 
                training and technical assistance to Federal, State, 
                and private sector organizations and entities that 
                provide aging services.
            (5) Assignment of responsibilities for aging services with 
        respect to jurisdiction, funding, and reporting relationships.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 24 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Consortium shall submit to the President and the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report that contains the 
recommendations of the Consortium with respect to the following:
            (1) Development of national policy.--The development of a 
        national policy to address issues with respect to technology 
        and assistive health services for seniors, including the 
        appropriate roles and responsibilities for the Federal 
        Government, State and local governments, and the private 
        sector.
            (2) Legislative and program changes.--The specific 
        legislative and regulatory changes with respect to Federal laws 
        and programs that would support and encourage the private 
        sector to develop and make widely available consumer-empowered 
        technology solutions.
            (3) Establishment of national resource center.--The 
        establishment of a National Resource Center on Aging Services 
        Technologies to offer training and assistance to the Federal 
        Government, State and local governments, and the private sector 
        in the application of technology in pilots and trials with 
        respect to assistive health services for seniors.

SEC. 4. POWERS.

    (a) Hearings.--The Consortium may hold such hearings, meet and act 
at such times and places, take such testimony, and receive such 
evidence as the Consortium considers advisable to carry out this Act.
    (b) Information From Federal Agencies.--
            (1) In general.--The Consortium may secure directly from a 
        Federal agency such information as the Consortium considers 
        necessary to carry out this Act.
            (2) Provision of information.--Except as otherwise provided 
        by law, on request of the Chairperson of the Consortium, the 
        head of the agency shall provide the information to the 
        Consortium.
    (c) Postal Services.--The Consortium may use the United States 
mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other 
agencies of the Federal Government.
    (d) Contract Authority.--The Consortium may contract with and 
compensate government and private agencies or persons for services, 
without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 5).
    (e) Powers of Members and Agents.--Any member or agent of the 
Consortium may, if authorized by the Consortium, take any action which 
the Consortium is authorized to take by this section.
    (f) Gifts.--The Consortium may accept, use, and dispose of gifts or 
donations of services or property.
    (g) Printing.--For purposes of costs relating to printing and 
binding, including the costs of personnel detailed from the Government 
Printing Office, the Consortium shall be deemed to be a committee of 
Congress.

SEC. 5. CONSORTIUM PERSONNEL MATTERS.

    (a) Compensation of Members.--Members of the Consortium shall 
receive no additional pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of their 
service on the Consortium.
    (b) Travel Expenses.--A member of the Consortium shall be allowed 
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates 
authorized for an employee of an agency under subchapter I of chapter 
57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from the home or regular 
place of business of the member in the performance of the duties of the 
Consortium.
    (c) Staff.--
            (1) In general.--The Chairperson of the Consortium may, 
        without regard to the civil service laws (including 
        regulations), appoint and terminate an executive director and 
        such other additional personnel as are necessary to enable the 
        Consortium to perform the duties of the Consortium.
            (2) Compensation.--
                    (A) Executive director.--The executive director 
                shall be paid the rate of basic pay for level V of the 
                Executive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, 
                United States Code.
                    (B) Other staff.--The staff shall be appointed 
                subject to the provisions of title 5, United States 
                Code, government appointments in the competitive 
                service, and shall be paid in accordance with the 
                provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 
                53 of that title relating to classification and General 
                Schedule pay rates.
    (d) Detail of Federal Government Employees.--
            (1) In general.--An employee of the Federal Government may 
        be detailed to the Consortium without reimbursement.
            (2) Civil service status.--The detail of the employee shall 
        be without interruption or loss of civil service status or 
        privilege.
    (e) Procurement of Temporary and Intermittent Services.--The 
Chairperson of the Consortium may procure temporary and intermittent 
services in accordance with section 3109(b) of title 5, United States 
Code, at rates for individuals that do not exceed the daily equivalent 
of the maximum annual rate of basic pay payable for the General 
Schedule.
    (f) Physical Facilities.--The Administrator of the General Services 
Administration shall locate suitable office space for the operation of 
the Consortium. The facilities shall serve as the headquarters of the 
Consortium and shall include all necessary equipment and incidentals 
required for the proper functioning of the Consortium.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$1,500,000, for the period of fiscal years 2007 through 2010, to remain 
available until expended.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION OF CONSORTIUM.

    The Consortium shall terminate 180 days after the date on which the 
Consortium submits the report required under section 3(c).
                                 <all>