[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1091 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1091

   To establish a Federal Task Force to Support Grandparents Raising 
                             Grandchildren.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 10, 2017

Ms. Collins (for herself and Mr. Casey) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a Federal Task Force to Support Grandparents Raising 
                             Grandchildren.

    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 ``Supporting Grandparents Raising 
Grandchildren Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) More than 80 percent of Americans over the age of 65 
        are grandparents and more than 2,500,000 grandparents in the 
        United States are the primary caretaker of their grandchildren. 
        Experts report that such numbers are increasing as the opioid 
        epidemic expands.
            (2) Grandparents' lives are enhanced by caring for their 
        grandchildren; the overwhelming majority of grandparents report 
        experiencing significant benefits in serving as their 
        grandchildren's primary caregivers.
            (3) Providing full-time care to their grandchildren may 
        increase grandparents' likelihood of experiencing physical 
        illness and mental health problems and decrease their ability 
        to save for retirement.
            (4) Grandparents raising grandchildren may face difficulty 
        enrolling their grandchildren in school, medical care, and 
        Federal assistance services.
            (5) The Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et 
        seq.) includes services that support grandfamilies, including 
        the National Family Caregiver Support Program.
            (6) Grandparents would benefit from better coordination and 
        information about resources available to support them in their 
        caregiving responsibilities.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL TASK FORCE TO SUPPORT GRANDPARENTS RAISING 
              GRANDCHILDREN.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a Federal Task Force to 
Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (referred to in this section 
as the ``Task Force'').
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--The Task Force shall be composed of the 
        following members, or their designee:
                    (A) The Secretary of Health and Human Services.
                    (B) The Attorney General.
                    (C) The Administrator of the Administration for 
                Community Living.
                    (D) The Director of the Centers for Disease Control 
                and Prevention.
                    (E) The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and 
                Substance Use.
                    (F) The Assistant Secretary for the Administration 
                for Children and Families.
                    (G) The head of each Federal department, agency, or 
                other governmental entity identified by the Secretary 
                of Health and Human Services as having 
                responsibilities, or administering programs, relating 
                to current issues affecting grandparents or other 
                relatives raising children in their care.
            (2) Lead agency.--The Department of Health and Human 
        Services shall be the lead agency for the Task Force.
            (3) Requirement.--Each member of the Task Force shall be an 
        officer or employee of the Federal Government.
    (c) Duties.--
            (1) In general.--
                    (A) Information.--The Task Force shall identify, 
                promote, coordinate, and disseminate information 
                publicly about Federal information, resources, and best 
                practices available, on the date of the determination, 
                to help grandparents or other relatives raising 
                children in their care meet the health, educational, 
                nutritional, and other needs of the children in their 
                care as well as maintain their own physical and mental 
                health and emotional well-being, including those 
                raising children in their care as a result of the 
                opioid epidemic.
                    (B) Native americans.--In carrying out the duties 
                described in subparagraph (A), the Task Force shall 
                ensure that the needs of members of Native American 
                tribes are addressed.
            (2) Report.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Task Force shall 
                submit a report to the Special Committee on Aging and 
                the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
                of the Senate that includes--
                            (i) best practices, resources, and other 
                        useful information for grandparents and other 
                        relatives raising children in their care; and
                            (ii) an identification of the gaps in needs 
                        of grandparents and other relatives raising 
                        children in their care.
                    (B) Follow-up report.--Not later than the date that 
                is 2 years after the date the report under subparagraph 
                (A) is submitted, the Task Force shall submit a follow-
                up report to the Special Committee on Aging and the 
                Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
                the Senate that includes the information described in 
                subparagraph (A).
            (3) Process for public input.--The Task Force shall 
        establish a process for public input to inform the development 
        of, and updates to, the best practices, resources, and other 
        useful information and the gaps in needs described in paragraph 
        (2), including a process for the public to submit 
        recommendations to the Task Force and an opportunity for public 
        comment.
    (d) Sunset.--The Task Force shall terminate on the date that is 5 
years after the date of enactment of this Act.
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