Bill Text: CT SB00235 | 2012 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: An Act Concerning Municipal Agents For The Elderly.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-02-24 - Public Hearing 03/01 [SB00235 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2012-SB00235-Introduced.html

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General Assembly		Raised Bill No. 235
February Session, 2012		LCO No. 1028
		*01028_______HS_*
Referred to Committee on Human Services
Introduced by:
(HS)

AN ACT CONCERNING MUNICIPAL AGENTS FOR THE ELDERLY.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 7-127b of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(a) The chief elected official or the chief executive officer [if by ordinance] of each municipality shall appoint a municipal agent for elderly persons. Such agent shall be [a member of the municipality's commission on aging, if any,] a member of [another] an agency that serves elderly persons [, an elected official of the state or] in the municipality or a responsible resident of the municipality who has demonstrated an interest in the elderly or has been involved in programs in the field of aging.

(b) [Each] The duties of the municipal agent [shall] may include, but shall not be limited to, (1) [disseminate] disseminating information to elderly persons, [and assist] assisting such persons in learning about the community resources available to them and [publicize] publicizing such resources and benefits; (2) [assist] assisting elderly persons [in applying] to apply for federal and other benefits available to such persons; (3) [submit written reports at least annually to the chief elected official, chief executive officer, legislative body and committee or commission on aging of the municipality, if any, and to] reporting to the chief elected official or chief executive officer of the municipality and the Department of Social Services [on the services they have provided, the] any needs and problems of the elderly and any recommendations for [municipal] action [with regard to elderly persons] to improve services to the elderly.

(c) Each municipal agent shall serve for a term of two or four years, at the discretion of the appointing authority of each municipality, and may be reappointed. If more than one agent is necessary to carry out the purposes of this section, the appointing authority, in [the discretion of such appointing authority] its discretion, may appoint one or more assistant agents. The town clerk in each municipality shall notify the Department of Social Services immediately of the appointment of a new municipal agent. Each municipality may provide to its municipal agent resources sufficient for such agent to perform the duties of the office.

(d) The Department of Social Services shall [be responsible for assuring that the provisions of this section are being carried out by municipalities, and shall] adopt and disseminate to municipalities guidelines as to the role and duties of municipal agents and such informational and technical materials [to] as may assist such agents in performance of their duties. [Said] The department, [shall] in cooperation with the area agencies on aging, may provide training for municipal agents [in accordance with their needs and the resources of the department and in cooperation with area agencies on aging. The department shall sponsor at least one training session in each of the planning and service areas of the Department of Social Services. Such training shall include, but not be limited to, information, from updated lists, on the availability of housing. Each municipal agent shall attend at least one such session. Said department shall assist such agents to develop and maintain simple records about the needs of elderly persons and the services provided to them, which records shall be confidential and used only to provide data that is useful to the Department of Social Services and the area agencies on aging in the preparation of the annual state and area plans] within the available resources of the department and the agencies on aging.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1	from passage	7-127b

Statement of Purpose:

To clarify duties of municipal agents to the elderly and training opportunities available.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]