Text of MA S 2711 (2025)

SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2711 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts _______________ In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court (2025-2026) _______________ SENATE, November 10, 2025. The committee on Senate Rules to whom was referred the Senate Bill relative to the commission on LGBTQ aging (Senate, No. 473, changed) reports, that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session with an amendment substituting a new draft entitled "An Act relative to the commission on LGBTQ aging" (Senate, No. 2711). For the committee, Joan B. Lovely 1 of 3 FILED ON: 11/7/2025 SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2711 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts _______________ In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court (2025-2026) _______________ An Act relative to the commission on LGBTQ aging. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: 1 Section 71 of chapter 3 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out 2 subsections (a) and (b), as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, and inserting in place thereof 3 the following 2 subsections:- 4 (a) There shall be a permanent commission on older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, 5 queer and questioning, or LGBTQ, adults and their caregivers to consist of the following 6 members or their designees: the chairs of the joint committee on aging and independence who 7 shall serve as co-chairs; 1 person to be appointed by the senate president; 1 person to be 8 appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; 1 person to be appointed by the 9 minority leader of the senate; 1 person to be appointed by the minority leader of the house of 10 representatives; the secretary of aging and independence; the secretary of housing and livable 11 communities; the commissioner of public health; the director of the LGBTQIA+ Aging Project; 12 the president of Fenway Community Health Center, Inc.; the executive director of the GLBTQ 13 Legal Advocates & Defenders, Inc.; a representative of the New England Association on HIV 14 Over Fifty, Inc.; the executive director of MassEquality; the executive director of Massachusetts 2 of 3 15 Aging Access Association, Inc.; the director of AARP Massachusetts; the executive director of 16 the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging, Inc.; the director of the Massachusetts 17 Senior Care Association, Inc.; the director of Home Care Aide Council; and 5 members to be 18 appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be an attorney licensed to practice in the 19 commonwealth who practices elder law, 1 of whom shall be an expert in LGBTQ public policy 20 or research and 3 older LGBTQ adults, at least 1 of whom shall be transgender. The governor's 21 appointees shall ensure that the commission has at least 1 representative from each of the 22 following regions of the commonwealth: Cape Cod, western Massachusetts and central 23 Massachusetts. 24 (b) The commission shall investigate, analyze and study the health, housing, financial, 25 psychosocial and long-term care needs of older LGBTQ adults and their caregivers and shall 26 make recommendations to improve access to benefits and services where appropriate and 27 necessary. The commission shall: (i) examine the impact of the commonwealth's policies and 28 regulations on older LGBTQ adults and make recommendations to ensure equality of access, 29 treatment, care and benefits; (ii) examine strategies to increase provider awareness of the needs 30 of older LGBTQ adults and their caregivers and improve the competence of and access to 31 treatment, services and ongoing care, including preventive care; (iii) assess the funding and 32 programming needed to enhance services to the growing population of older LGBTQ adults; (iv) 33 examine best practices for increasing access, reducing isolation, preventing abuse and 34 exploitation, promoting independence and self-determination, strengthening caregiving, 35 eliminating disparities and improving quality of life; (v) examine whether certain policies and 36 practices, or the absence of certain policies and practice, promote the premature admission of 37 older LGBTQ adults to institutional care; (vi) recommend, as appropriate and necessary, lower 3 of 3 38 cost and culturally appropriate home and community-based alternatives to institutional care; (vii) 39 examine the feasibility of developing statewide training curricula to improve provider 40 competency in the delivery of health, housing and long-term support services to older LGBTQ 41 adults and their caregivers; and (viii) examine outreach protocols to reduce apprehension among 42 older LGBTQ adults and their caregivers of utilizing mainstream providers.