Text of US HB 8952 (2026)

I 119TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8952 To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to establish a LGBTQI rural outreach grant program, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 21, 2026 Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas, Mr. POCAN, Ms. SCHA- KOWSKY, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. PETERS, Ms. BALINT, and Mr. TORRES of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com- mittee on Education and Workforce A BILL To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to establish a LGBTQI rural outreach grant program, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Elder Pride Act of 4 2026’’. 5 SEC. 2. RURAL OUTREACH GRANT PROGRAM. 6 Part A of title IV of the Older Americans Act of 1965 7 (42 U.S.C. 3031 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 8 the following: 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:45 May 30, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8952.IH H8952 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 8952 IH ‘‘SEC. 423. RURAL OUTREACH GRANT PROGRAM. 1 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 2 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en- 3 tity’ means an entity that submits an application to 4 the Assistant Secretary in accordance with sub- 5 section (c) and is— 6 ‘‘(A) a State; 7 ‘‘(B) an Indian Tribe or Tribal organiza- 8 tion; or 9 ‘‘(C) an agency, nonprofit organization, or 10 institution that— 11 ‘‘(i) focuses on serving the needs of 12 older individuals, LGBTQI individuals, 13 older LGBTQI individuals, or individuals 14 of another protected class; or 15 ‘‘(ii) focuses on providing sexual 16 health services to all older individuals, in- 17 cluding services for individuals with HIV; 18 and 19 ‘‘(D) may include an area agency on aging 20 for a rural area or a multipurpose senior cen- 21 ter. 22 ‘‘(2) LGBTQI.—The term ‘LGBTQI’, used 23 with respect to an individual, means a lesbian, gay, 24 bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex individual. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:45 May 30, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8952.IH H8952 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 8952 IH ‘‘(3) PROTECTED CLASS.—The term ‘protected 1 class’ means a group of individuals sharing a com- 2 mon characteristic or identity who are legally pro- 3 tected against discrimination. 4 ‘‘(4) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ 5 means an area that is not designated by the United 6 States Census Bureau as an urbanized area or 7 urban cluster. 8 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY FOR GRANTS.—The Assistant Sec- 9 retary may make grants to eligible entities to carry out 10 activities described in subsection (d) that are designed— 11 ‘‘(1) to create a cooperative and lasting part- 12 nership between LGBTQI older individuals, or older 13 individuals of a protected class, residing in rural 14 areas and the eligible entity receiving the grant; 15 ‘‘(2) to meet the needs of the individuals de- 16 scribed in paragraph (1); and 17 ‘‘(3) to provide comprehensive sexual health 18 services to all older individuals residing in rural 19 areas. 20 ‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.— 21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity seeking a 22 grant under this section shall submit an application 23 to the Assistant Secretary at such time, in such 24 manner, and containing such information as the As- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:45 May 30, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8952.IH H8952 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 8952 IH sistant Secretary may reasonably require, including 1 the contents described in paragraph (2). 2 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—An application for a grant 3 under this section shall contain— 4 ‘‘(A) a description of the proposed activi- 5 ties to be supported by the grant; 6 ‘‘(B) a description of the size and charac- 7 teristics of the population in a rural area to be 8 served by such proposed activities; 9 ‘‘(C) a description of the public and private 10 resources expected to be made available in con- 11 nection with such activities; 12 ‘‘(D) a demonstrated intent to partner 13 with local organizations in rural areas in car- 14 rying out such activities; 15 ‘‘(E) evidence in a form acceptable to the 16 Assistant Secretary that such activities will 17 meet urgent needs that are not met by available 18 public and private sources; and 19 ‘‘(F) such other information or certifi- 20 cations that the Assistant Secretary determines 21 necessary to achieve the purposes described in 22 paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (b). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:45 May 30, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8952.IH H8952 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 8952 IH ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity may use 1 funds made available by a grant under this section to 2 carry out activities that include initiatives that— 3 ‘‘(1) engage in education and training relating 4 to community outreach to LGBTQI older individ- 5 uals, or older individuals of a protected class, resid- 6 ing in rural areas; 7 ‘‘(2) reduce isolation and improve access to care 8 for LGBTQI older individuals, or older individuals 9 of a protected class, residing in rural areas by build- 10 ing relationships between such individuals and the 11 local community; 12 ‘‘(3) foster relationships between local service 13 providers and LGBTQI older individuals, or older 14 individuals of a protected class, residing in rural 15 areas; 16 ‘‘(4) improve cultural competency with respect 17 to LGBTQI individuals, and older individuals of a 18 protected class, among organizations and personnel 19 providing services to older individuals residing in 20 rural areas; 21 ‘‘(5) expand the use of nondiscrimination poli- 22 cies that— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:45 May 30, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8952.IH H8952 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 8952 IH ‘‘(A) prohibit discrimination on the basis 1 of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex 2 characteristics (including intersex traits); and 3 ‘‘(B) create community spaces that are in- 4 clusive to LGBTQI older individuals and older 5 individuals of a protected class; and 6 ‘‘(6) focus on providing sexual health services to 7 older individuals residing in rural areas, including 8 services for individuals with HIV. 9 ‘‘(e) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—As a condition 10 of receiving funds under this section, an eligible entity 11 shall use such funds received under this section only to 12 supplement the level of state or local funds that would, 13 in the absence of the receipt of funds under this section, 14 be made available for related LGBTQI services. 15 ‘‘(f) STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES.—The Assistant 16 Secretary shall establish standards and guidelines for ac- 17 tivities supported by grants under this section. Such 18 standards and guidelines shall permit an eligible entity re- 19 ceiving such grant to refine or adapt the standards and 20 guidelines for an individual project if the refinement or 21 adaptation is made necessary by a local circumstance. 22 ‘‘(g) COORDINATION WITH LOCAL ENTITIES.— 23 ‘‘(1) COOPERATION.—An eligible entity that re- 24 ceives a grant under this section shall, in carrying 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:45 May 30, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8952.IH H8952 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HR 8952 IH out activities supported by the grant, agree to co- 1 operate and coordinate with— 2 ‘‘(A) the agencies of the relevant State and 3 local governments responsible for providing 4 services to LGBTQI older individuals, or older 5 individuals of a protected class, in the area 6 served by such activities; and 7 ‘‘(B) other public and private organizations 8 and agencies providing services to LGBTQI 9 older individuals, or older individuals of a pro- 10 tected class, in such area. 11 ‘‘(2) PRIORITIZATION.—An eligible entity re- 12 ceiving a grant under this section shall prioritize co- 13 operating and coordinating with public and private 14 organizations and agencies that primarily serve pop- 15 ulations of older individuals with the greatest social 16 need. 17 ‘‘(h) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the ef- 18 fective date of this section, and annually thereafter, the 19 Assistant Secretary shall submit to the Congress and 20 make available to the public a report describing the activi- 21 ties carried out under this section during the then pre- 22 ceding 2-year period. 23 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 24 to be authorized for rural outreach grant activities under 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:45 May 30, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8952.IH H8952 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 8 •HR 8952 IH section 423, $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 and 1 2028.’’. 2 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:45 May 30, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H8952.IH H8952 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB