WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging and senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, this week applauded the passage of the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act out of the HELP Committee.
The Older Americans Act, originally enacted in 1965, funds a number of critical programs for older adults such as Meals on Wheels, senior community centers, and home- and community-based services.
As a lead negotiator of the reauthorization bill, Sen. Casey, D-Scranton, fought to include provisions that will strengthen advocacy for long-term care facility residents, provide new support for grandparents raising grandchildren, and make it easier for low-income seniors to access nutritious meals.
“Since its passage, the Older Americans Act has served as the foundation for community social services for older adults — from funding Meals on Wheels to local senior centers to home and community-based care-giving,” said Chairman Casey. “While this OAA reauthorization could have gone farther to support older Americans, it is an important, bipartisan bill that sustains vital programs, and strengthens support for long-term care residents, grandparents raising grandchildren, and low-income seniors. Our Nation’s older adults have fought in our wars, raised our families, and built our communities—they deserve our support as they age.”
Senator Casey secured a number of key provisions in the Older Americans Act reauthorization, including:
Strengthening advocacy for long-term care residents
Casey fought to include provisions from his Strengthening Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act, which will bolster the Long-Term Care Ombudsmen program. Long-Term Care Ombudsmen advocate for long-term care residents and monitor conditions and care within long-term care facilities.
The provisions included in the bill strengthen the program by reinstating a National Director, improving volunteer recruitment, and commissioning a study on the needs of older adults overseen by the program.
Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Casey ensured the reauthorization bill included provisions to expand support for grandparents raising grandchildren, who face unique and difficult challenges stepping in when parents are no longer able to care for their children. The bill will expand federal support for grandfamilies to grandparents caring children up to age 22, should the child be enrolled in education; previously, families were only eligible to receive support for children up to age 18. Other provisions will extend the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Advisory Council, with a particular focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and opioid crisis on grandfamilies. The Advisory Council was originally authorized through Casey’s bipartisan Supporting Grandfamilies Raising Grandchildren Act, which he fought to pass in 2018.
Improving access to nutritious meals for seniors
Casey voted to include provisions in the reauthorization bill that promote providing meals that are medically tailored to seniors’ unique needs, and allow for more flexibility in meal delivery by expanding grab-and-go meal options.
Grab-and-go meals were an innovation developed during the COVID-19 public health emergency and provided local service providers with the flexibility to meet their communities’ needs.
Casey introduces legislation to reduce mental health care costs for service members, veterans, military families
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, this week introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Stop Copay Overpay Act to make mental and behavioral health care affordable and accessible to military service members, veterans, and their families through TRICARE.
This legislation would make mental health care visits cost no more than a visit to a primary healthcare provider across all TRICARE plans.
“We can never fully repay our service members and their families for their sacrifice, but we can, and we must, ensure that they get the health care they deserve,” Casey said. “This bill will ensure that members of the military, veterans, and their families pay the same amount for mental health care as they do for any other doctor’s visit. Military service members paid the price to defend our Nation — now we must make sure that they can take care of their health and well-being.”
After learning from Pennsylvania veterans and service families that co-pays for mental and behavioral health visits have disproportionately increased since 2017, Casey introduced the Stop Copay Overpay Act. The Stop Copay Overpay Act would reduce financial barriers to those seeking mental and behavioral health care by establishing pay parity — capping co-pays at a level equal to those for normal primary care visits.
Mental health issues affect millions of Americans each year, but service members and veterans are even more likely to experience mental health conditions that compromise their quality of life.
Meuser co-sponsors legislation to block terrorists coming across southern border
U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week co-sponsored H.R. 7733 — the Identifying Potential Terrorists at the Border Act of 2024.
This legislation would require Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to screen and detain all individuals attempting to cross the border until it is confirmed that they do not match any entry on the Federal Terror Watchlist.
Meuser said currently, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) screens unlawful migrants against the terrorism database as a practice rather than a legal requirement. He said recent reports indicate a significant increase in foreign nationals detained who, after cross-referencing, are confirmed to be on the Federal Terror Watchlist.
CBP data highlights a sharp rise in these encounters; more than 165 individuals on the terror watchlist were apprehended at the southern border in fiscal year 2023. This is a stark contrast to the just 3 individuals recorded in fiscal year 2020.
“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, every town has essentially become a border town,” Meuser said. “With crime rising across the country, current laws do not require border patrol agents to screen illegal migrants for potential ties to terrorism. This gap means that terrorists and dangerous individuals could be slipping through our borders and infiltrating our communities. This legislation addresses the deficiencies in current law and helps combat threats that could arise as a result of the Administration’s open border policies. I urge my colleagues to support this crucial measure to prevent terrorists from further entering the country and to ensure the safety of all Americans.”
H.R. 7733 was referred to the House Judiciary Committee for further consideration.
Fetterman issues statement on passage of Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act
By a vote of 91-3, the United States Senate this week passed the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, a legislative package that included both the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children’s and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) — two bills that will help protect children online.
This is the most significant step Congress has taken to keep children safe on the internet in decades.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddocl, released the following statement in response:
“We all know the positive side of the internet, but social media can take a serious toll on mental health. I’ve experienced this first-hand and I’ve spoken openly about it. We must do more to protect our children’s privacy online and safeguard their mental health — these bills are critical steps to do just that.
“I’m especially proud to have worked to improve this legislation so that far-right attorneys general or federal appointees will not be able to weaponize it to censor both content that supports LGBTQ+ youth and content that provides information on reproductive health care.
“It’s good to see that we’re stepping up to protect our children. I’m proud of the work I’ve done on this legislation and wish I could have been in DC to vote for it, instead of home in Braddock with COVID. I hope the House takes it up and passes it as soon as possible.”
Fetterman said the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act will create regulations that govern what content tech and social media companies are able to offer to minors online through algorithm recommendations. The bills will require companies to take steps to mitigate harm to children, including bullying, violence, the promotion of suicide, eating disorder content, and more. Fetterman said the legislation will also change how these companies can use young people’s data.
After hearing concerns with the legislation from LGBTQ+ organizations, Sen. Fetterman said he worked with his colleagues to address concerns that KOSA could violate First Amendment rights if weaponized by right-wing state attorneys general.
Sen. Fetterman cosponsored the revised version of the bill, which ensures that LGBTQ+ social media content cannot be interpreted as harmful by right wing state attorneys general and federal appointees.