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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 7102
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 3375
Referred to Committee on AGING
Introduced by:
(AGE)
AN ACT CONCERNING SENIOR CE NTERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 7-127b of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 2
(a) The chief elected official or the chief executive officer if by 3
ordinance of each municipality shall appoint a municipal agent for 4
elderly persons. Such agent shall be a staff member of a senior center, a 5
member of an agency that serves elderly persons in the municipality or 6
a responsible resident of the municipality who has demonstrated an 7
interest in the elderly or has been involved in programs in the field of 8
aging. 9
(b) The duties of the municipal agent may include, but shall not be 10
limited to: [,] (1) [disseminating] Disseminating information to elderly 11
persons, assisting such persons in learning about the community 12
resources available to them and publicizing such resources and 13
benefits; (2) assisting elderly persons to apply for federal and other 14
benefits available to such persons; and (3) reporting to the chief elected 15
official or chief executive officer of the municipality and the 16 Raised Bill No. 7102
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Department of Rehabilitation Services any needs and problems of the 17
elderly and any recommendations for action to improve services to the 18
elderly. 19
(c) Each municipal agent shall serve for a term of two or four years, 20
at the discretion of the appointing authority of each municipality, and 21
may be reappointed. If more than one agent is necessary to carry out 22
the purposes of this section, the appointing authority, in its discretion, 23
may appoint one or more assistant agents. The town clerk in each 24
municipality shall notify the Department of Rehabilitation Services 25
immediately of the appointment of a new municipal agent. Each 26
municipality may provide to its municipal agent resources sufficient 27
for such agent to perform the duties of the office. 28
(d) The Department of Rehabilitation Services shall adopt and 29
disseminate to municipalities guidelines as to the role and duties of 30
municipal agents and such informational and technical materials as 31
may assist such agents in performance of their duties. The department, 32
in cooperation with the area agencies on aging, may provide training 33
for municipal agents within the available resources of the department 34
and of the area agencies on aging. 35
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2019) (a) Any one or more 36
municipalities, or any one or more private organizations that serve 37
older persons and are designated to act as agents of one or more 38
municipalities, may establish a multipurpose senior center, as defined 39
in Title I of the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended from time to 40
time. Such senior center shall facilitate evaluation, planning, 41
coordination and implementation of programs and services, including, 42
but not limited to, those relating to (1) health, including mental and 43
behavioral health; (2) social, nutritional and educational services; and 44
(3) recreational activities for older persons. 45
(b) A multipurpose senior center established pursuant to subsection 46
(a) of this section may provide, but need not be limited to, the 47
following services: (1) Nutrition services; (2) health and wellness 48 Raised Bill No. 7102
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programs; (3) employment assistance; (4) intergenerational initiatives; 49
(5) community service and civic engagement opportunities; (6) public 50
benefits counseling; (7) socialization and educational opportunities; (8) 51
transportation; (9) peer counseling; (10) financial and retirement 52
counseling; (11) arts programs; and (12) case management services. 53
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2019) (a) Within available 54
appropriations, the Department of Rehabilitation Services shall 55
provide assistance to senior centers including, but not limited to, the 56
following duties: (1) Establishment and maintenance of a list of senior 57
centers and municipal services for older persons; (2) establishment and 58
maintenance of a list of resources for staff of senior centers and 59
municipal services for older persons; (3) technical assistance to staff of 60
senior centers and municipal services for older persons through direct 61
assistance or referral to expert resources; (4) regular communication to 62
staff of senior centers and municipal services for older persons of 63
information about local, state and federal support, and services of 64
interest to senior centers and municipal services for older persons; and 65
(5) establishment and facilitation of a state-wide senior center work 66
group as described in subsection (b) of this section. The Commissioner 67
of Rehabilitation Services shall assign or appoint necessary personnel 68
to perform such duties. 69
(b) The Department of Rehabilitation Services shall establish a state-70
wide senior center work group comprised of, but not limited to: (1) 71
The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services, or the commissioner's 72
designee; (2) the Commissioner of Social Services, or the 73
commissioner's designee; (3) two representatives of the Connecticut 74
Association of Senior Center Personnel; (4) one representative of the 75
Connecticut Association of Municipal Agents for the Elderly; (5) one 76
representative of the Connecticut Local Administrators of Social 77
Services; (6) five representatives of senior centers, with one from each 78
of the five planning and service areas, as described in section 17a-304 79
of the general statutes; (7) one representative from a nonprofit senior 80
center; and (8) one representative from a senior center that is 81 Raised Bill No. 7102
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accredited by the National Institute of Senior Centers. 82
(c) The senior center work group shall ensure a coordinated plan of 83
development for senior centers and municipal services for older 84
persons and shall: (1) Develop an annual plan for the support and 85
development of senior centers and municipal services for older 86
persons, including, but not limited to, training needs and the 87
coordination of existing resources; (2) evaluate the feasibility of 88
implementing standards for the delivery of core services and make 89
recommendations for such standards, including, but not limited to, 90
recommending standards that allow for parity of core services across 91
municipalities while maintaining flexibility for delivery of those core 92
services; (3) consult with the five area agencies on aging and other 93
agencies; (4) facilitate coordination and communication between senior 94
centers and municipal services for older persons with executive branch 95
departments, including, but not limited to, the Departments of 96
Rehabilitation Services, Public Health, Transportation, Housing and 97
Mental Health and Addiction Services, and agencies and initiatives 98
that impact older persons in the community; (5) develop and provide 99
access to best practices and procedures for senior centers and 100
municipal services for older persons; and (6) make recommendations 101
to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having 102
cognizance of matters relating to human services, housing, public 103
health and transportation for any necessary appropriations or 104
legislative changes. 105
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2019 7-127b
Sec. 2 October 1, 2019 New section
Sec. 3 October 1, 2019 New section
AGE Joint Favorable