▸SECTION 71
of chapter 3 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out subsections (a) and (b), as appearing in the 2024 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 chairs of the joint committee on aging and independence who shall serve as co-chairs; 1 person to be appointed by the senate president; 1 person to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; 1 person to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 1 person to be appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; the secretary of aging and independence; the secretary of housing and livable communities; the commissioner of public health; the director of the LGBTQIA+ Aging Project; the president of Fenway Community Health Center, Inc.; the executive director of the 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 Massachusetts Aging Access Association, Inc.; 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 Home Care Aide Council; and 5 members to be appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be an attorney licensed to practice in the commonwealth who practices elder law, 1 of whom shall be an expert in LGBTQ public policy or research and 3 older LGBTQ 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 regions of the commonwealth: 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. 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.
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Section 71 of chapter 3 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out subsections (a) and (b), as appearing in the 2024 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 chairs of the joint committee on aging and independence who shall serve as co-chairs; 1 person to be appointed by the senate president; 1 person to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; 1 person to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 1 person to be appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; the secretary of aging and independence; the secretary of housing and livable communities; the commissioner of public health; the director of the LGBTQIA+ Aging Project; the president of Fenway Community Health Center, Inc.; the executive director of the 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 Massachusetts Aging Access Association, Inc.; 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 Home Care Aide Council; and 5 members to be appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be an attorney licensed to practice in the commonwealth who practices elder law, 1 of whom shall be an expert in LGBTQ public policy or research and 3 older LGBTQ 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 regions of the commonwealth: 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. 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.