[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8490 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8490

  To establish the Office of Social Connection Policy, to establish a 
    national strategy on social connection, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2024

   Mr. Bera introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish the Office of Social Connection Policy, to establish a 
    national strategy on social connection, and for other purposes.

    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 ``National Strategy for Social 
Connection Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The health of the Nation is rightly measured not only 
        by its aggregate wealth or global power, but more centrally by 
        its shared vision and the bonds of connection that knit its 
        people into a community.
            (2) The fraying of the social fabric is directly implicated 
        in the growth of loneliness, decline of civic and religious 
        participation, the disintegration of communities, rising 
        economic inequality and precarity, falling economic mobility, 
        rising rates of depression, anxiety and addiction, diminishing 
        health and life expectancy and rising levels of polarization 
        and radicalization.
            (3) These changes affect all people of the United States, 
        but fall with particular force on the poor and marginalized, on 
        children and adolescents, on individuals residing in 
        economically disadvantaged regions, on veterans and on the 
        elderly, and individuals without a college degree.
            (4) The Surgeon General declared an epidemic of loneliness 
        and isolation on May 2, 2023.
            (5) According to the Surgeon General, social isolation and 
        loneliness pose a significant risk to individual health and 
        longevity, including a 29 percent increased risk of heart 
        disease, a 32 percent increased risk of stroke, and for older 
        adults, a 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia.
            (6) Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk for 
        premature death by 26 percent and 29 percent, respectively.
            (7) The general flourishing, economic health and stability 
        of the United States, and the effective functioning of 
        government and society require renewed attention to social 
        connection at every level of society, from individual and 
        family, to local community and Nation.
            (8) The causal connections between these changes are 
        complex, and thus the various cultural, technological, 
        demographic, economic, political and institutional drivers of 
        social connection require attention from a dedicated expert 
        body that may develop and share knowledge to incorporate into 
        the national decision making process and align relevant agency 
        actions.
            (9) Federal funding for research and policy around social 
        connection represents an investment in the future that is 
        indispensable to sustained national progress and human 
        flourishing, and there should be continuing national investment 
        in identifying and expanding proven local strategies, assessing 
        how agencies are or are not contributing to social connection, 
        and funding incentives to drive improvement commensurate with 
        addressing contemporary problems.

SEC. 3. OFFICE OF SOCIAL CONNECTION POLICY; NATIONAL STRATEGY ON SOCIAL 
              CONNECTION.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Advisory council.--The term ``Advisory Council'' means 
        the advisory council established under subsection (c)(1).
            (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Office.
            (3) Inadequate.--The term ``inadequate'', with respect to 
        loneliness, means the discrepancy or unmet need between an 
        individual's or community's preferred and actual experience.
            (4) Loneliness.--The term ``loneliness'', with respect to 
        an individual, means a subjective distressing experience of an 
        individual that results from perceived isolation or inadequate 
        meaningful connection.
            (5) Office.--The term ``Office'' means the Office of Social 
        Connection Policy.
            (6) Social connectedness.--The term ``social 
        connectedness'' means the degree to which an individual or 
        community achieves and maintains social connection needs.
            (7) Social connection.--The term ``social connection'' 
        means a continuum of the size and diversity of an individual's 
        social network and roles, the functions such relationships and 
        roles serve, and the positive or negative qualities of such 
        relationships and roles.
            (8) Social disconnection.--The term ``social 
        disconnection'' means objective or subjective deficits in 
        social connection, including deficits in social relationships 
        and roles, the functions such relationships and roles serve, 
        and the positive or negative qualities of such relationships 
        and roles.
            (9) Social infrastructure.--The term ``social 
        infrastructure'' means the programs (such as volunteer 
        organizations, sports groups, religious groups, and member 
        associations), policies (such as public transportation, 
        housing, and education), and physical elements (such as 
        libraries, parks, green spaces, and playgrounds) of a community 
        that support the development of social connection.
            (10) Social isolation.--The term ``social isolation'', with 
        respect to an individual, means that the individual objectively 
        has few social relationships, social roles, or group 
        memberships and has infrequent social interaction.
    (b) Office of Social Connection Policy.--
            (1) In general.--There is established within the Executive 
        Office of the President an office, to be known as the ``Office 
        of Social Connection Policy''.
            (2) Purposes.--The purposes of the Office shall be to 
        provide to the President independent, expert judgment and 
        assistance on policy matters that require accurate assessments 
        of social connection.
            (3) Director.--
                    (A) In general.--The head of the Office shall be 
                the Director, who shall be appointed by the President, 
                by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
                    (B) Compensation.--The Director shall be 
                compensated at the rate provided for level IV of the 
                Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, 
                United States Code.
            (4) Associate directors.--
                    (A) In general.--The President may appoint, by and 
                with the advice and consent of the Senate, not more 
                than 4 Associate Directors of the Office.
                    (B) Compensation.--An Associate Director appointed 
                under subparagraph (A) shall be compensated at the rate 
                provided for level V of the Executive Schedule under 
                section 5316 of title 5, United States Code.
            (5) Duties.--
                    (A) In general.--The Director shall--
                            (i) advise the President on timely and 
                        authoritative research regarding public health, 
                        technological, and social infrastructure 
                        aspects of social connection and loneliness 
                        that require attention at the highest levels of 
                        the Federal Government;
                            (ii) advise the President on social 
                        connection and loneliness considerations with 
                        respect to issues of national concern, 
                        including the economy, public health, national 
                        security, the environment, and civic and 
                        community engagement;
                            (iii) with respect to research and 
                        development relating to social connection and 
                        loneliness--
                                    (I) assist the Director of the 
                                Office of Management and Budget with an 
                                annual review and analysis of funding 
                                proposed for such research and 
                                development for all Federal agencies; 
                                and
                                    (II) assist the Director of the 
                                Office of Management and Budget and the 
                                heads of the Federal agencies 
                                throughout the budget development 
                                process;
                            (iv) assist the President in providing 
                        general leadership and coordination of Federal 
                        research and development programs relating to 
                        social connection and loneliness;
                            (v) provide prompt, effective, reliable, 
                        and systematic information to the public on the 
                        impact of policies and programs conducted by 
                        the Federal Government on social connection and 
                        maintenance and development of social 
                        infrastructure;
                            (vi) establish, maintain, and update the 
                        national strategy in accordance with 
                        subparagraph (B); and
                            (vii) carry out such other activities as 
                        the President may determine.
                    (B) National strategy.--
                            (i) In general.--The Office shall 
                        establish, maintain, and periodically update an 
                        integrated national strategy to improve social 
                        connection, ameliorate loneliness, and slow or 
                        stop the progression of social disconnection.
                            (ii) Requirement.--The national strategy 
                        under clause (i) shall be an inclusive, Federal 
                        Government-wide approach that leverages 
                        existing Federal resources and authorities to 
                        achieve enhanced social connection.
    (c) Advisory Council.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director shall establish an 
        intergovernmental advisory council the purpose of which shall 
        be to address loneliness, social disconnection, and social 
        connection experienced by individuals in the United States.
            (2) Activities.--The Advisory Council shall--
                    (A) carry out an annual assessment on social 
                connection in accordance with paragraph (5);
                    (B) provide information on, and coordinate, social 
                connection research and services across all Federal 
                agencies;
                    (C) encourage the development of effective 
                strategies and approaches to prevent social 
                disconnection and improve social infrastructure, 
                quality of life, and community;
                    (D) review the impact of social disconnection and 
                loneliness on physical, mental, and social health;
                    (E) to the maximum extent practicable, coordinate 
                with international bodies to integrate and inform the 
                global mission to improve social connection;
                    (F) advise the Director;
                    (G) issue national guidelines on social connection; 
                and
                    (H) carry out such other activities as the Director 
                determines appropriate.
            (3) Membership.--
                    (A) Composition.--The Advisory Council shall be 
                composed of--
                            (i) the Director (or the Director's 
                        designee), who shall serve as the Chair of the 
                        Advisory Council;
                            (ii) the Federal members under subparagraph 
                        (B); and
                            (iii) the non-Federal members under 
                        subparagraph (C).
                    (B) Federal members.--
                            (i) In general.--In addition to the 
                        Director (or the Director's designee), the 
                        Federal members of the Advisory Council shall 
                        consist of 1 representative from each of--
                                    (I) the Department of Commerce;
                                    (II) the Department of Defense;
                                    (III) the Department of Education;
                                    (IV) the Department of Health and 
                                Human Services, including--
                                            (aa) the Administration on 
                                        Community Living;
                                            (bb) the Centers for 
                                        Disease Control and Prevention; 
                                        and
                                            (cc) the Office of the 
                                        Director of the National 
                                        Institutes of Health;
                                    (V) the Department of Homeland 
                                Security;
                                    (VI) the Department of Housing and 
                                Urban Development, including the Office 
                                of Community Planning and Development;
                                    (VII) the Department of Justice;
                                    (VIII) the Department of Labor;
                                    (IX) the Department of the 
                                Treasury;
                                    (X) the Department of 
                                Transportation;
                                    (XI) the Department of Veterans 
                                Affairs;
                                    (XII) the Corporation for National 
                                and Community Service; and
                                    (XIII) other relevant Federal 
                                agencies, as determined by the 
                                Director.
                            (ii) Appointment.--The Federal members 
                        under clause (i) shall be appointed--
                                    (I) by the head of the respective 
                                agency or office; and
                                    (II) so as to ensure that the 
                                membership of the Advisory Council is 
                                diverse and inclusive.
                    (C) Non-federal members.--The non-Federal members 
                of the Advisory Council shall be appointed by the 
                Director, and shall consist of experts in their 
                respective fields, including--
                            (i) 1 or more caregivers;
                            (ii) 1 or more health care providers;
                            (iii) 1 or more representatives of 
                        nonprofit organizations that advocate for 
                        policies that reduce loneliness and social 
                        isolation;
                            (iv) 1 or more representatives of State, 
                        territorial, local, and Tribal governments;
                            (v) 1 or more researchers from research 
                        institutions;
                            (vi) 1 or more representatives of State 
                        education agencies;
                            (vii) 1 or more representatives of Veterans 
                        Service Organizations;
                            (viii) 1 or more employers;
                            (ix) 1 or more workplace representatives;
                            (x) 1 or more representatives of volunteer 
                        organizations;
                            (xi) 1 or more representatives of nonprofit 
                        organizations that advocate for youth and have 
                        youth serving on their boards or in leadership 
                        positions;
                            (xii) 1 or more representatives of 
                        community action agencies;
                            (xiii) 1 or more representatives of 
                        disability rights organizations; and
                            (xiv) 1 or more representatives of LGBTQIA+ 
                        advocacy organizations.
            (4) Meetings.--
                    (A) Quarterly meetings.--The Advisory Council shall 
                meet not less frequently than quarterly, and at the 
                call of the Director.
                    (B) Open meetings.--The meetings of the Advisory 
                Council shall be open to the public.
            (5) Annual assessment.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
        Advisory Council shall carry out an assessment of the progress 
        of the United States in improving social connection, 
        including--
                    (A) an assessment of steps that have been, or 
                should be, taken--
                            (i) to increase the use of the national 
                        strategy described in subsection (b)(5)(B) in 
                        Federal policy development and implementation;
                            (ii) to establish a framework to improve 
                        and connect social services;
                            (iii) to promote continuous community-led 
                        planning and design to improve social 
                        connection through reimagined community spaces, 
                        transportation, housing, and technologies;
                            (iv) to establish and scale community 
                        connection programs;
                            (v) to coordinate public health campaigns 
                        that raise awareness and reduce the stigma 
                        surrounding loneliness;
                            (vi) to strengthen measurement practices to 
                        increase collection of data measuring 
                        loneliness and social connection;
                            (vii) to provide assistance to State, 
                        local, and Tribal governments seeking to 
                        improve social connection among residents; and
                            (viii) to support youth participation in 
                        strategies to improve social connection and 
                        community connection; and
                    (B) an assessment of other issues the Director 
                determines appropriate.
            (6) Annual report.--Not later than 18 months after the date 
        of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Advisory 
        Council shall submit to the Director and Congress a report that 
        describes--
                    (A) an evaluation of all Federal efforts to address 
                loneliness and improve social connection;
                    (B) recommendations for legislative changes needed 
                to implement goals described in clauses (i) through 
                (viii) of paragraph (5)(A); and
                    (C) an evaluation of the implementation, including 
                outcomes, of the national strategy described in 
                subsection (b)(5)(B).
    (d) Data Sharing.--Each Federal agency that has data relating to 
loneliness and social connection shall share such data with the 
Director and make such data publicly available, subject to applicable 
Federal law relating to disclosure of such data, to enable the Advisory 
Council to complete the reports described in subsection (c)(6).
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029 to conduct or 
support research on loneliness and social connection.
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