Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Senior Nutrition Task Force Act of 2023”.
Senior Nutrition Task Force Act of 2023
A BILL
To establish the Interagency Task Force to Address Hunger and Promote Access to Healthy Food Among Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Interagency task force
Definitions— In this section:
Disability— The term “disability” has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102).
Older person— The term “older person” has the meaning given the term “older individual” in section 102 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002).
Secretary— The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture.
Task Force— The term “Task Force” means the task force established by subsection (b).
Establishment— There is established a task force, to be known as the “Interagency Task Force to Address Hunger and Promote Access to Healthy Food Among Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities”.
Members—
In general— The members of the Task Force shall be the following:
The Secretary (or a designee).
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (or a designee).
The Secretary of Transportation (or a designee).
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs (or a designee).
The Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service (or a designee).
The Administrator of the Administration for Community Living (or a designee).
The Administrator for Independent Living within the Administration for Community Living (or a designee).
The Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (or a designee).
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (or a designee).
The Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (or a designee).
The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (or a designee).
The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or a designee).
The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use (or a designee).
The Surgeon General (or a designee).
The Deputy Administrator for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (or a designee).
The Director of the Office on Nutrition Research of the National Institutes of Health (or a designee).
The Director of the Indian Health Service (or a designee).
The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (or a designee).
The head of any other relevant Federal department or agency, as determined appropriate by the Secretary, and appointed by the President.
At least 2 older persons, appointed by the President, who are recipients of Federal nutrition benefits, as determined by the President.
At least 2 adults with disabilities, appointed by the President, who are recipients of Federal nutrition benefits, as determined by the President.
At least 2 members of grandfamilies or kinship families, appointed by the President, who are recipients of Federal nutrition benefits, as determined by the President.
At least 1 representative, appointed by the President, from a national older adult nutrition organization.
At least 1 representative, appointed by the President, from a national organization that addresses hunger among adults with disabilities.
At least 1 representative, appointed by the President, from a national antihunger organization.
Chairperson— The Chairperson of the Task Force shall be the Secretary (or a designee).
Vice Chairperson— The Vice Chairperson of the Task Force shall be the Administrator of the Administration for Community Living (or a designee).
Duties— The duties of the Task Force shall be the following:
Identify, promote, coordinate, and disseminate information and resources and other available best practices—
to address hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition among older adults and adults with disabilities; and
to increase access to healthy foods.
Measure and evaluate progress in—
addressing hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition among older adults and adults with disabilities; and
increasing access to healthy, affordable, and local or regional food for older adults and adults with disabilities.
Examine interagency opportunities—
to collaboratively address hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition among older adults and adults with disabilities;
to promote access to healthy, affordable, and local or regional food for older adults and adults with disabilities; and
to foster participation across Federal nutrition services.
Examine challenges to interagency efforts to carry out subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (3).
Report— Not later than September 30, 2026, the Task Force shall submit to Congress a report that describes—
best practices for addressing hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition and promoting access to healthy, affordable, and local or regional food among older adults and adults with disabilities;
recommendations to support interagency efforts to address hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition and promote access to healthy, affordable, and local or regional food among older adults and adults with disabilities;
existing barriers to promoting interagency collaboration to address hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition and access to healthy, affordable, and local or regional food among older adults and adults with disabilities; and
innovative practices to address hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition and promote access to healthy, affordable, and local or regional food among older adults and adults with disabilities.