# Plain Language Summary: Select Committee on Older Americans

Congress is creating a new special committee focused entirely on issues affecting older Americans. This committee will be made up of 12 members of the House of Representatives—six from the majority party and six from the minority party—designed to bring both sides together to discuss problems seniors face. The committee will have a chair and a ranking minority member to lead the discussions.

The committee's main job is to hold hearings and briefings about the economic, health, housing, and social challenges that older Americans experience, with particular attention to how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected seniors. They'll work with other congressional committees, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to study these issues and come up with policy recommendations. However, there's one important limit: the committee cannot make recommendations about Social Security or Medicare, since those programs are handled by other congressional committees.

It's important to understand what this committee cannot do. It has no power to actually pass laws or take legislative action on its own. Instead, it's designed as an information-gathering and advisory body that will publish reports and make recommendations to the relevant committees that do have the power to make changes. The committee will submit progress reports every four months and a final report within two years, and all of these reports will be made public so citizens can see what they've found.

This is essentially Congress setting up a dedicated space to focus attention on senior issues and coordinate efforts across different parts of government. While the committee itself won't create new laws, its findings and recommendations could influence future legislation affecting older Americans.

Establishing the Select Committee on Older Americans.

Tenney, Claudia

 <p>This resolution temporarily establishes in the House of Representatives the Select Committee on Older Americans, which is comprised of 12 Members appointed by the Speaker (6 of whom shall be appointed on the recommendation of the minority leader).</p> <p>The select committee must serve as a bipartisan forum to bring awareness to, and advance recommendations to address, economic, health, housing, and other issues facing older adults. The recommendations may not, however, address Medicare or Social Security. The select committee must submit a final report that details its activities within two years after the appointment of its members and terminates on the date it submits the final report.</p>