AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- PERMANENT JOINT STUDY COMMISSION ON AGING AND MULTI-SECTOR PLAN ON AGING (Establishes the Permanent Joint Study Commission on Aging and Multi-Sector Plan on Aging.)

H8402

2026 -- H 8402
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LC004397
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- PERMANENT JOINT STUDY COMMISSION ON
AGING AND MULTI-SECTOR PLAN ON AGING

Introduced By:
Representative Lauren H. Carson

Date Introduced:
April 03, 2026

Referred To:
House Health & Human Services
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Findings of fact.
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The general assembly finds and declares:
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(1) Rhode Island has one of the fastest growing populations of older adults, with
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approximately twenty-two percent (22%) of its residents sixty-five (65) years of age or older.
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(2) The population of older Rhode Islanders is projected to grow substantially over the next
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decade, including significant increases among residents seventy-five (75) years of age and older
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and eighty-five (85) years of age and older.
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(3) The aging process is influenced by historical and structural disparities including, but
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not limited to, racism, ageism, sexism, disability discrimination, and economic inequities.
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(4) Growth in the older adult population will significantly impact housing systems,
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transportation networks, healthcare delivery, municipal services, and economic security programs.
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(5) A coordinated, cross-sector strategic framework is necessary to prepare the state to meet
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these evolving needs.
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SECTION 2. Title 40 of the General Laws entitled "HUMAN SERVICES" is hereby
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amended by adding thereto the following chapter:
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CHAPTER 23
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PERMANENT JOINT STUDY COMMISSION ON AGING AND MULTI-SECTOR PLAN ON
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AGING

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40-23-1. Establishment.
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(a) There is hereby established a permanent house and senate joint study commission to be
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known as the “permanent joint legislative study commission on aging” (the “permanent
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commission”).
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(b) The permanent commission shall guide, develop, and oversee the implementation of
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the Rhode Island multi-sector plan on aging.
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40-23-2. Membership.
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(a) The permanent commission shall consist of nineteen (19) members:
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(1) Three (3) members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker, one of
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whom shall serve as co-chairperson;
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(2) Three (3) members of the senate appointed by the president, one of whom shall serve
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as co-chairperson;
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(3) The director of the office of healthy aging, or designee;
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(4) The secretary of the executive office of health and human services, or designee;
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(5) The director of the department of health, or designee;
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(6) The secretary of housing, or designee;
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(7) The director of the Rhode Island public transit authority, or designee;
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(8) The chair of the state commission on aging, or designee;
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(9) The chair of the long-term care coordinating council, or designee;
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(10) The executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, or designee;
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(11) The executive director of the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island;
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(12) One member who is a municipal senior center director appointed by the speaker;
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(13) Three (3) public members jointly appointed by the speaker and the president who shall
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represent the aging or disabled community and possess lived experience or expertise in matters
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affecting older adults or persons with disabilities. At least one public member shall be sixty (60)
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years of age or older, and at least one public member shall be an adult with disabilities or a
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representative of a disability stakeholder organization.
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(b) The three (3) public members shall collectively reflect a mix of residents from urban
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and rural communities within the state.
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(c) Appointments shall seek representation of diverse racial, cultural, gender, and ability
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groups.
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(d) Legislative members serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Public members
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serve staggered three (3) year terms.
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(e) A majority of legislative members constitutes a quorum.

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(f) The permanent commission shall have the authority to establish subcommittees
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appointed by the chairpersons, to further the implementation of this chapter. The permanent
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commission shall have the authority to appoint the chairpersons and the members to these
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subcommittees.
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40-23-3. Multi-sector plan on aging.
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(a) The permanent commission shall develop and periodically update a comprehensive
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multi-sector plan on aging (“MPA”) to serve as the general assembly’s coordinated long-term
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framework for addressing the needs of older adults and persons with disabilities.
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(b) The MPA shall address, at a minimum, the following domains:
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(1) Housing;
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(2) Transportation;
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(3) Access to services;
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(4) Municipal services;
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(5) Economic security; and
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(6) Healthcare.
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(c) The MPA shall include:
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(1) An assessment of demographic trends and projected growth of older Rhode Islanders;
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(2) Identification of disparities and structural barriers affecting aging outcomes;
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(3) Broad goals and strategic priorities within each domain;
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(4) Identification of opportunities for improved interagency coordination and collaboration
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with municipalities and community partners;
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(5) Recommendations for legislative, regulatory, and budgetary actions necessary to
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advance the goals of the plan;
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(6) Strategies to promote aging in place and strengthen home- and community-based
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services.
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(d) The initial multi-sector plan shall be adopted within eighteen (18) months of enactment.
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(e) The plan shall be updated no less than every four (4) years.
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40-23-4. Duties.
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The permanent commission shall:
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(1) Encourage agencies at all levels of government to prioritize planning for older Rhode
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Islanders in strategic plans, capital planning, and program development;
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(2) Facilitate joint policy development among state agencies and municipalities to promote
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innovation, efficiency, and effective use of public resources;
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(3) Request information and implementation updates from relevant state agencies;

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(4) Establish advisory subcommittees aligned with the domains identified in § 40-23-4 as
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necessary; and
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(5) Conduct no fewer than four (4) public meetings annually.
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40-23-5. Annual report.
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(a) On or before January 15 of each year, the permanent commission shall submit a written
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report describing progress on the multi-sector plan on aging and recommendations for legislative
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or budgetary action to:
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(1) The governor;
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(2) The president of the senate;
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(3) The speaker of the house of representatives;
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(4) The chairperson of the senate committee on health and human services;
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(5) The chairperson of the house committee on health and human services;
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(6) The chairperson of the senate committee on finance;
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(7) The chairperson of the house committee on finance;
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(8) The chairperson of the senate committee on housing and municipal government; and
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(9) The chairperson of the house committee on municipal government and housing.
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(b) Executive branch agencies identified in the multi-sector plan shall, within ninety (90)
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days of issuance of the annual report, submit a written response outlining actions taken, planned
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actions, or reasons for non-implementation of recommendations relevant to their agency.
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(c) The annual report and agency responses shall be made publicly available.
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40-23-6. Administrative and financial support.
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(a) The general assembly shall provide staff support. The office of healthy aging shall
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provide technical assistance upon request.
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(b) The general assembly shall, upon approval by its membership, annually appropriate to
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the permanent commission the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000).
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(c) Funding pursuant to this section shall provide for one full time employee at the
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executive office of health and human services to staff the commission.
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40-23-7. Permanency.
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The permanent commission shall be permanent and shall not sunset unless repealed by a
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subsequent act of the general assembly.
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40-23-8. Coordination of federal reporting with the Rhode Island multi-sector plan
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on aging.
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(a) The state unit on aging, currently the Rhode Island office of healthy aging (“OHA”),
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shall coordinate reporting required under the Older Americans Act (42 U.S.C. § 3001 et seq.) with

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the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Rhode Island multi-sector plan on aging
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and the permanent commission.
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(b) To the maximum extent practicable, data, analyses, and performance measures
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collected for federal reporting required under the Older Americans Act shall be used to inform and
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support the goals, strategies, and progress monitoring of the state’s multi-sector plan on aging.
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(c) The OHA shall ensure that information collected by state departments and service
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providers for federal reporting purposes is integrated into the planning, evaluation, and continuous
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improvement of the multi-sector plan on aging.
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(d) The multi-sector plan on aging may incorporate, where appropriate:
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(1) Performance indicators and service data reported pursuant to the Older Americans Act;
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(2) Demographic and service utilization data from the state OHA;
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(3) Measures related to health, housing, transportation, economic security, caregiving, and
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community supports affecting older adults and adults with disabilities; and
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(4) Cross-agency data necessary to track progress toward statewide aging policy goals.
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(e) Nothing in this section shall alter or diminish federal reporting obligations required to
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receive funding under the Older Americans Act, but shall ensure that such reporting is leveraged
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to support statewide strategic planning for Rhode Island’s aging population.
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SECTION 3. This act shall take effect on September 1, 2026.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- PERMANENT JOINT STUDY COMMISSION ON
AGING AND MULTI-SECTOR PLAN ON AGING
***
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This act would establish the Permanent Joint Study Commission on Aging and Multi-
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Sector Plan on Aging.
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This act would take effect on September 1, 2026.
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