Bill Text: CT HB05395 | 2014 | General Assembly | Comm Sub
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Aging In Place.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-04-08 - Referred by House to Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding [HB05395 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2014-HB05395-Comm_Sub.html
General Assembly |
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February Session, 2014 |
*_____HB05395AGE___031114____* |
AN ACT CONCERNING AGING IN PLACE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective July 1, 2014) (a) For the purposes described in subsection (b) of this section, the State Bond Commission shall have the power from time to time to authorize the issuance of bonds of the state in one or more series and in principal amounts not exceeding in the aggregate five million dollars.
(b) The proceeds of the sale of said bonds, to the extent of the amount stated in subsection (a) of this section, shall be used by the Department of Rehabilitation Services for the purpose of administering a grant program to provide assistance to eligible persons, as defined in subsection (d) of section 17b-607 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, for home modifications and assistive technology devices necessary for such persons to remain in a home setting of their choice.
(c) All provisions of section 3-20 of the general statutes, or the exercise of any right or power granted thereby, which are not inconsistent with the provisions of this section are hereby adopted and shall apply to all bonds authorized by the State Bond Commission pursuant to this section, and temporary notes in anticipation of the money to be derived from the sale of any such bonds so authorized may be issued in accordance with said section 3-20 and from time to time renewed. Such bonds shall mature at such time or times not exceeding twenty years from their respective dates as may be provided in or pursuant to the resolution or resolutions of the State Bond Commission authorizing such bonds. None of said bonds shall be authorized except upon a finding by the State Bond Commission that there has been filed with it a request for such authorization which is signed by or on behalf of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and states such terms and conditions as said commission, in its discretion, may require. Said bonds issued pursuant to this section shall be general obligations of the state and the full faith and credit of the state of Connecticut are pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on said bonds as the same become due, and accordingly and as part of the contract of the state with the holders of said bonds, appropriation of all amounts necessary for punctual payment of such principal and interest is hereby made, and the State Treasurer shall pay such principal and interest as the same become due.
(d) Any funds available through the program established pursuant to this section shall be expended only for grants and administrative costs and shall not be expended for any other purpose.
Sec. 2. Section 17b-607 of the 2014 supplement to the general statutes is amended by adding subsection (d) as follows (Effective July 1, 2014):
(NEW) (d) On and after July 1, 2014, the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services is authorized to establish and administer a grant fund for the purpose of providing assistance to eligible persons to undertake home modifications and acquire assistive technology devices necessary to allow such persons to live independently in a home setting. For the purposes of this subsection, "eligible persons" means persons age sixty-five and older or persons with disabilities (1) who are at risk of losing the ability to live independently at home without such modifications or devices in the judgment of an assistive technology professional rehabilitation engineer or a certified aging-in-place specialist, and (2) whose income does not exceed four hundred per cent of the federal poverty level.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2014) (a) The Commission on Aging shall establish a matching grant program as part of the livable communities initiative established pursuant to section 17b-420a of the general statutes, as amended by this act. The matching grant program shall provide assistance to municipalities and nonprofit organizations engaged in initiatives designed to allow elderly persons and adults under the age of sixty-five with disabilities to age in place and to remain in a home setting of their choice in a livable community, as defined in subsection (a) of section 17b-420a of the general statutes, as amended by this act. Such initiatives shall include, but not be limited to: (1) Affordable and accessible housing, (2) community and social services, (3) planning and zoning regulations that permit homesharing and accessory apartments for elderly persons and adults with disabilities, and (4) transportation-related infrastructure that provides ease of access to elderly persons and persons with disabilities.
(b) Each municipality or nonprofit organization applying for such grant funds shall provide a fifty per cent match to such funds. The Commission on Aging shall disburse grant funds in amounts not exceeding one hundred thousand dollars such that no one region of the state receives a disproportionate amount of such funds, provided municipalities from throughout the state apply for such funds. In considering applications from the same geographical region of the state which equally satisfy eligibility criteria, the commission shall give priority to applications from municipalities with population percentages of persons age sixty-five and older and persons with disabilities that exceed the state's total population percentages of such persons, as defined in the most recent federal decennial census or in estimates provided in the five-year interim by the Office of Policy and Management.
(c) A municipality or nonprofit organization, receiving a grant pursuant to this section, shall annually submit to the Commission on Aging, on forms provided by said commission, the following data on programs funded by such grants: (1) The number of elderly persons and persons with disabilities assisted under the program, (2) the number of home accessory apartments or shared homes approved under the program, (3) the number and type of transportation services or options added, (4) the number and type of community and social services added or expanded, (5) a budget detailing municipal expenditures on such programs, and (6) any other information determined to be necessary by the commission.
(d) Any funds available through the program established pursuant to this section shall be expended only for grants and administrative costs and shall not be expended for any other purpose.
Sec. 4. (Effective July 1, 2014) The sum of one million dollars is appropriated to the Commission on Aging, from the General Fund, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, for purposes of the matching grant program established under section 3 of this act.
Sec. 5. Section 17b-420a of the 2014 supplement to the general statutes is amended by adding subsection (f) as follows (Effective July 1, 2014):
(NEW) (f) Not later than January 1, 2015, the Commission on Aging, as part of the livable community initiative established pursuant to this section, shall recognize communities that have implemented livable community initiatives allowing individuals to age in place and to remain in the home setting of their choice. Such initiatives shall include, but not be limited to: (1) Affordable and accessible housing, (2) community and social services, (3) planning and zoning regulations, (4) walkability, and (5) transportation-related infrastructure.
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2014) The Department on Aging and the Department of Social Services shall hold quarterly meetings with nutrition service and food security stakeholders to develop recommendations to address complexities in nutrition services' administrative processes, establish quality control benchmarks and help move toward greater quality, efficiency and transparency in the elderly nutrition program. Stakeholders shall include, but not be limited to, area agencies on aging, access agencies, the Commission on Aging, nutrition providers, representatives of food security programs and contractors, nutrition host site representatives and consumers.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
July 1, 2014 |
New section |
Sec. 2 |
July 1, 2014 |
17b-607 |
Sec. 3 |
July 1, 2014 |
New section |
Sec. 4 |
July 1, 2014 |
New section |
Sec. 5 |
July 1, 2014 |
17b-420a |
Sec. 6 |
July 1, 2014 |
New section |
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In section 1(b) a reference to the definitional provision of section 17b-607(d) was added for accuracy, in section 2(d) a reference to section 1 in the definitional provision was deleted as redundant, and in section 3(a) the matching grant program language was rephrased and the appropriation provision was deleted and made a separate section for consistency with the style of the general statutes.
AGE |
Joint Favorable Subst. |