If enacted, this bill will amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act, requiring nursing facilities to allow access to essential caregivers during times of restricted visitation initiated by federal, state, or local authorities. Facilities will be mandated to recognize and uphold the designations of essential caregivers, ensuring that at least one caregiver can visit and assist residents daily. This measure is aimed at preventing the negative consequences of social isolation that many elderly and disabled residents faced during pandemic restrictions.
Summary
House Bill 8331, known as the Essential Caregivers Act of 2024, seeks to enhance the rights of residents in skilled nursing facilities and similar care institutions by ensuring that they can designate essential caregivers who will have access to them at all times, particularly during emergencies when standard visitation rights are restricted. The bill arises from concerns that many long-term care residents experienced detrimental health effects due to isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, where visitation was heavily restricted, leading to increased loneliness and declines in overall well-being among residents.
Contention
There is potential contention surrounding this bill as it does not confer any new authority for nursing homes to restrict caregiver access beyond the outlined provisions. Critics may argue about the feasibility of implementing such a regulation, especially in scenarios where infection control is critical. Proponents, however, assert that allowing essential caregivers to visit can provide necessary support and monitoring that improves residents' quality of life, advocating that such access is a fundamental right that should be preserved during emergencies.
Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation ActThis bill allows five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska to form urban corporations and receive land entitlements.Specifically, the bill allows the Alaska Native residents of each of the Alaska Native villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell, Alaska, to organize as Alaska Native urban corporations and to receive certain settlement land.The bill directs the Department of the Interior to convey specified land to each urban corporation. Further, Interior must convey the subsurface estate for that land to the regional corporation for Southeast Alaska.The land conveyed to each urban corporation must include any U.S. interest in all roads, trails, log transfer facilities, leases, and appurtenances on or related to the land conveyed to the urban corporation.The bill also allows each urban corporation to establish a settlement trust to (1) promote the health, education, and welfare of the trust beneficiaries; and (2) preserve the Alaska Native heritage and culture of their communities.