Sponsors
This is not an official government website.
Copyright © 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Introduced March 5, 2025 by Lisa Murkowski · Last progress March 5, 2025
Creates a federally chartered advisory committee focused on older Native Americans, clarifies that home modifications count as "in‑home assistance," strengthens technical assistance to Title VI grantees, revises certain funding set‑aside language, and requires two reports within 180 days on caregiver program modeling, home modification needs, barriers to Title VI participation, and how Title V funds serve older Native Americans. The advisory committee will have 11 non‑federal members, meet at least twice a year, produce an annual report, and its members receive daily pay at the Executive Schedule Level IV rate for days worked. The changes aim to improve coordination and capacity for tribal elder services, expand the types of in‑home services explicitly covered, and gather information to guide future policy and funding decisions. No specific new appropriations are set in the text provided; the Committee is to be funded from existing appropriations for the Office for American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian Programs.
The bill strengthens tribal representation, clarifies program rules, expands allowable home-modification and capacity-building supports for older Americans (including Native elders), and collects data to inform future funding—at the cost of potential budgetary strain, higher federal/taxpayer spending risks, reduced advisory transparency, and added administrative burdens without immediate new appropriations.
Seniors (including Native elders) can get safer, stay-at-home supports through clearer authority and emphasis on home modifications (e.g., ramps, grab bars), helping them remain independent and potentially avoid or delay nursing home placement.
Older Americans could receive larger or more clearly allocated OAA set-aside funds and service-delivery rules are modernized, reducing ambiguity for providers and potentially increasing resources for older-adult services.
Native American tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations gain a formal advisory channel with set representation and interagency coordination (Labor, CMS, IHS), improving policy responsiveness to tribal elder needs and ensuring tribal voices inform program design.
Because no new funding is specified, expanding allowable services (home modifications, training, technical assistance) may strain state and local budgets or federal grant pools and could shift limited resources away from other direct services.
Creating and compensating an advisory committee from existing appropriations and paying members at Executive Schedule IV rates may divert funds from direct services for Native elders and increase taxpayer costs.
If OAA set‑asides become mandatory or larger, federal spending could rise and states or grantees may lose flexibility to target funds to local priorities.