109 HR 5906 IH: Consortium on the Impact of Technology
U.S. House of Representatives
2006-07-26
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.This Act may be cited as the
Consortium on the Impact of Technology
in Aging Health Services Act of 2006
.
2.Establishment of
Consortium
(a)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)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)
(1)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)
(A)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 disabilitiesAt least 2 appointees
shall be—
(i)age
65 or older; or
(ii)an
individual with a disability.
(3)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)
(1)A
member shall be appointed for the life of the Consortium.
(2)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)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)The
Consortium shall meet at the call of the Chairperson.
(g)A
majority of the members of the Consortium shall constitute a quorum, but a
lesser number of members may hold hearings.
3.
(a)
(1)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)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)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)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 policyThe 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 changesThe 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 centerThe 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.
4.
(a)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)The Consortium may secure directly from a Federal agency
such information as the Consortium considers necessary to carry out this
Act.
(2)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)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)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 AgentsAny 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)The
Consortium may accept, use, and dispose of gifts or donations of services or
property.
(g)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.
5.Consortium
personnel matters
(a)Members of the Consortium shall receive no additional
pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of their service on the
Consortium.
(b)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)
(1)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)
(A)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)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)An employee of the Federal Government may be detailed to
the Consortium without reimbursement.
(2)The detail of the employee shall be without interruption
or loss of civil service status or privilege.
(e)Procurement of
temporary and intermittent servicesThe 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)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.
6.Authorization of
appropriationsThere 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.
7.Termination of
ConsortiumThe Consortium
shall terminate 180 days after the date on which the Consortium submits the
report required under section 3(c).