Tag Archives for Senate Special Committee on Aging

Congressman Magaziner takes baton on bringing back House Aging Committee

Published in RINewsToday on March 4, 2024

Over 30 years ago, the US House Democratic leadership’s belt-tightening efforts to save $1.5 million resulted in the termination of the House Permanent Select Committee on Aging. Congressman Seth Magaziner (RI-2) has picked up the baton from former Congressman David Cicilline who sought to bring back the House Aging Committee during the 114th-117th Congresses.

At press time, Magaziner’s H. Res. 1029, introduced Feb. 23, 2024, has been referred to the House Committee on Rules for mark-up, and if passed, will be considered by the full House.

“Older Americans deserve a seat at the table, particularly when it comes to important issues such as protecting Social Security and Medicare,” said Magaziner in a statement announcing his legislative efforts to pass H. Res. 1029. “I am proud to introduce legislation to re-establish a House Permanent Select Committee on Aging, which will advocate for America’s aging population and ensure seniors’ voices are heard when it comes to federal policymaking,” he says.

Every day 12,000 Americans turn 60. By 2030, nearly 75 million people in the U.S. — or 20% of the country — will be age 65 or older. As our country’s aging population grows, the need for support and services provided under programs like Social Security, SSI, Medicare, Medicaid and the Older Americans Act increases.

“Ensuring that seniors can thrive in our communities should always be a priority for the House of Representatives,” said Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-1)  one of 15 original cosponsors of H. Res. 1029, who initially called for bringing back the House Aging Committee during his campaign to win former Cicillini’s vacant seat.

“That is why it is essential that there is a dedicated committee for lawmakers to focus on the issues that impact seniors’ quality of life. From preserving and expanding Social Security and Medicare to reducing the cost of prescription drugs to keeping seniors in safe and stable housing, there are so many issues to address under the leadership of a Special Committee on Aging. Seniors in Rhode Island and across the country deserve nothing less,” says Amo.

The House can readily create an ad hoc (temporary) select committee by approving a simple resolution that contains language establishing the committee—giving a purpose, defining membership, and detailing other aspects, says EveryCRSReport. Salaries and expenses of standing committees, special and select, are authorized through the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill.

Putting a spotlight on aging issues

H. Res. 1029 simply amends the Rules of the House to establishes a Permanent House Select Committee on Aging, noting that this panel shall not have legislative jurisdiction, but it’s authorized to conduct a continuing comprehensive study and review of the aging issues, such as income maintenance, poverty, housing, health (including medical research), welfare, employment, education, recreation, and long-term care.

The 213-word resolution would have authorized the House Aging Committee to study the use of all practicable means and methods of encouraging the development of public and private programs and policies which will assist seniors in taking a full part in national life and which will encourage the utilization of the knowledge, skills, special aptitudes, and abilities of seniors to contribute to a better quality of life for all Americans.

Finally, the House Resolution would also allow the House Aging Committee to develop policies that would encourage the coordination of both governmental and private programs designed to deal with problems of aging and to review any recommendations made by the President or by the White House Conference on aging in relation to programs or policies affecting seniors.’

Aging organizations, advocates call for passage of H. Res. 1029

According to Max Richtman, President and CEO of the Washington D.C.-based National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), jurisdiction over many programs affecting seniors is shared by multiple standing committees, which can make it difficult for them to fully explore solutions that do not fit squarely into a single committee’s expertise. Such issues include a variety of intergenerational concerns that merit attention, such as the growing demands on family caregivers and our intractable retirement security crisis. “An inter-disciplinary approach to these issues can best be advanced by a Select Committee with broad jurisdiction,” he says. 

“Re-establishing a Select Committee on Aging in the House would also complement the strong bipartisan work of its counterpart in the Senate,” says Richtman. “In recent years, the Senate Special Committee on Aging has effectively promoted member understanding on a range of issues,” he says, noting that these issues include concerns of grandparents raising grandchildren, elder abuse and fraud, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on older Americans and their families, the importance of financial literacy in planning for retirement, and the costs associated with isolation and loneliness. 

“Historically, the House Select Committee on Aging served as a unique venue that allowed open, bipartisan debate from various ideological and philosophical perspectives to promote consensus that, in turn, helped facilitate the critical work of the standing committees. We believe that issues affecting seniors would be best advanced by the re-establishment of such a Committee in the House,” adds Richtman. 

NCPSSM will endorse H. Res. 1029 and plans to promote it to House lawmakers. If the Democrats take control of the House next November, the organization will approach the Democratic House Speaker when he is crafting rules to operate and request that the rules include reestablishing the HSCoA. 

Nancy Altman, President of the Washington, DC-based Social Security Works, strongly supports Magaziner’ efforts to bring back the HSCoA. “Social Security is a critical issue for older Americans. “There’s so much misinformation out there about Social Security, and as a result many people aren’t confident they’ll get the benefits they’ve earned. More accurate information coming from Congress would help,” she says.

According to Altman, the Social Security Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee does incredibly important work, but Ways and Means has such a broad jurisdiction that Social Security and other aging related issues don’t always get the attention they deserve. “A House Aging Committee could shine an important spotlight, informing the public, the media, and fellow members,” she notes.

Altman offers suggestions to the Rhode Island Congressman to increase the chances for passage of H. Res. 1029. “If he doesn’t already have Republican co-sponsors, he should try to get some since they’re more likely to convince Speaker Mike Johnson to create the committee,” she says. 

In addition to working for passage of H. Res. 1029, this Congress, Altman recommends that Magaziner start working now to line up Democrats to push for the reestablishing the House Select Committee on Aging at the beginning of the next Congress, where there is likely to be Democratic control. 

Robert S. Weiner, now President, Robert Weiner Associates News, was House Aging Committee Chief of Staff under Chairman Claude Pepper, from 1976 to 1980, when the Florida lawmaker headed the HSCoA, as a force to be reckoned with in his advocacy of America’s seniors.

“I saw first-hand the power of that committee when we met with Presideent Jimmy Carter and he endorsed the HSCoA’s efforts to abolish mandatory retirement,” says Weiner, noting that the bill passed 359-2 in the House and 89-10 in the Senate, and signed into law by the President.

According to Weiner, the Carter Center recently invited him to pen an article this fall, for their “last print edition of the “Carter-Mondale Newsletter,” entitled “Carter, Pepper Strike Blow Against Age Discrimination.”

“We also held high-powered hearings on nursing home abuses, cancer insurance fraud, the need for expanded home health care (which ultimately became law), elder abuse, and pensions,” adds Weiner. As to Social Security, the Pepper-O’Neill-Reagan deal guaranteed the solvency of Social Security through 2034.

As to legislative strategy, Weiner suggests that Magaziner get 100 plus sponsors – Democrats and Republicans – by bringing a copy of the resolution to the House floor and getting cosponsoring significantly efficiently and quickly by first-hand recruiting action. He might even ask to address the House for a one-minute speech about the importance of passing H. Res. 1029.

“Both parties are nuts if they don’t help seniors by having a dedicated House Select Committee on Aging,” asserts Weiner.

“This is a significant opportunity for the Congress to take a comprehensive view as to how we as a country wish to better support the aging of America.  Older adults suffered the most during the COVID pandemic — more than 90% of the deaths were individuals over 60.  Many older adults are still suffering from loneliness and social isolation.  Such a bipartisan effort led by Congressmen Magaziner and Amo would be historic,” stated Vincent Marzullo, who served 31 years as a career federal civil rights and social justice administrator at the National Service Agency, and a well-known aging advocate.  He serves on Magaziner’s he RI-02 Seniors Advisory Committee.

The clock is ticking. With the upcoming presidential elections taking place in about 246 days, Magaziner must quickly work to get House Republicans cosponsors to get House Speaker Mike Johnson to allow a vote in the House Rules Committee. Without support of his caucus, he is likely to say no.

Magaziner must convince Congressmen Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), co-chairs of the “Problem Solvers Caucus,” consisting of essentially an equal number of 63 Republican and Democratic lawmakers, to push for passage of H. Res. 1029.  This may be the only way to pass a resolution to reestablish HSCoA in a Republican-controlled House.

Senate Aging Committee tackles AI generated scams

Published in RINewsToday on January 8, 2024

Over two months ago, U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman, Bob Casey (D-PA), put the spotlight on Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven fraud and scams. During the Nov. 16 hearing held in SD-106, “Modern Scams: How Scammers Are Using Artificial Intelligence & How We Can Fight Back,” the Senate panel highlighted the most common scams targeting seniors in 2023 with a focus on how scammers are using AI to create voice-clones and deep fakes to deploy scams and convince targets of their veracity. The hearing also explored how AI is being used to enhance fraud detection technology.

During the Senate panel hearing, lasting one hour and a half, Chairman Casey announced the Senate Aging Committee’s release of its annual Fraud Book, and brochure on AI-powered  scams and a bookmark featuring tips to avoid scams. Chairman Casey also noted he would approach the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to request information about the agency’s work to track the use of AI scams targeted to older Americans.  On Dec. 5, Casey sent a letter to the FTC urging the agency to track AI scams.

Senate Panel Takes a Look at AI’s Good and Bad

“Today, we heard disturbing testimony about scammers using artificial intelligence to make their ploys more life-like and convincing,” said Chairman Casey in his opening remarks. “Any consumer, no matter their age, gender, or background, can fall victim  to these ultra-convincing scams, and the stories we heard today from individuals across the country are heartbreaking. As a parent and grandparent, I relate to the fear and concern these victims must feel. Federal action is needed to put up guardrails to protect consumers from AI—while also empowering those that can use it for good,” he said.

At the Senate Panel hearing, Ranking Member Mike Braun of Indiana warned that an increasing number of sophisticated fraudsters are carrying out AI attacks on seniors by utilizing voice-cloning and deepfakes to create images nearly identical to a real-live  person to dupe consumers into giving away valuable information and money.

“In context of frauds and scams, AI can be leverage negatively – but it can also be part of the solution,” says Braun.

According to Braun, the private sector has used AI and machine learning since the 1990s to combat fraud.  He called on the federal government to embrace similar technology by testing promising solutions to systems that suffer the most fraud, like Medicare.

Gary Schildhorn, a Philadelphia attorney told the Senate panel about his story of an attempted scam against him where his son’s voice was cloned by AI.  When he received a call that sounded like his son Brett, saying he had been in a car accident and needed $9,000 to post bail, he almost fell for the scam.

“There was no doubt in my mind that it was his voice on the phone—it was the exact cadence with which he speaks.  I sat motionless in my car just trying to process these events. How did they get my son’s voice? The only conclusion I can come up with is that they used artificial intelligence, or AI, to clone his voice…it is manifestly apparent that this technology… provide a risk-less avenue for fraudsters to prey on us,” says Schildhorn.

In his testimony, Steve Weisman, an Amherst attorney with Margolis, Bloom & D’Agostino who teaches white-collar crime at Bentley College in Waltham, pointed to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel report for 2022, revealing that seniors reported more than $1.6 billion in losses to frauds and scams. But the actual amount could be as high as $48.4 billion, he says, because many were afraid to report losing money due to embarrassment or sham.

Seniors Tempting Target to AI Scammers

Seniors are the target of scammers because “that is where the money is,” notes Weisman, because they may have a “life time of accumulated savings that make them a tempting target for scammers.”

According to Weisman, AI has created additional opportunities for phone call scams,  because it can be used to remove foreign accents from scammers voices, making them appear more reliable.  AI created Robocall scripts can enable conversations with the scammer’s targeted victims, too.  Finally, AI cloning technology can make the targeted victim below they are talking to a loved one.

Weisman says that AI can be used by scammers to set up social media bots that appear to come from “real” people.  This allows them to create large numbers of believable bots to promote numerous scams, particularly involving cryptocurrency.

Scammers are now using AI technology more effectively in romance and family emergency scams, too, warns Weisman. 

AI can create fake profiles on multiple dating platforms, writing a grammatically correct biography, making it easier for scammers in foreign countries who are not familiar with speaking English. AI can also create photos or deepfakes for the profile, he says.

Weisman told the panel that AI generating software can create an audio voice that sounds exactly like that of the grandchild, using as little as 30 seconds worth of the grandchild’s voice.

Seeking a Balanced Approach

“The interplay of AI and scams brings forth both challenges and opportunities. Striking a careful balance between fostering AI innovations and protecting vulnerable populations is paramount,” says Dr. Tahir Ekin, of the San Marcus, Texas -based McCoy College of Business.

“In the fight against AI driven scams, awareness and AI literacy are crucial weapons,” says Ekin. “Existing efforts that educate seniors on safe digital practices, such as the work FTC Federal Advisory Council and the “Pass It On” campaign, can be enhanced to include AI related scams,” he says.

Tom Romanoff, Director, Technology at the Washington, DC-based Bipartisan Policy Center, stated, “As the good of this technology is being explored, we must acknowledge AI’s risks and seek a balanced approach, focusing on curtailing abuse while promoting positive uses and innovations.”

“As I stated in the beginning, we must tackle the abuse while driving toward positive application to safeguard its adoption,” says Romanoff.

To view the Senate Aging hearing, held on Nov. 16, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CMhzgQdz_I.

For a copy of Fighting Fraud: Top Scams in 2022,  go to https://www.aging.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/fraud_book_2023__english.pdf

Casey Calls on Federal Agencies to Enhance Web Access for People with Disabilities, Seniors

Published in RINewsToday on February 27, 2023

After Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced on March 20, 2020, the bipartisan Department of Veterans Affairs Website Accessibility Act with Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA), the legislative proposal passed both chambers to ultimately be signed into law nine months later by President Donald Trump. The new law directed the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to report to Congress regarding the he accessibility of VA websites to people with disabilities.

Casey calls for better website technology 

On Dec. 20, 2022, Casey released Unlocking the Virtual Front Door, a 72-page report detailing the findings of an 11-month investigation that found widespread failure across the federal government to ensure that website technology is accessible for people with disabilities, seniors, and veterans. The investigators identified the absence of U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reporting as a contributing factor to widespread accessibility gaps at the numerous federal departments and agencies.

On June 30, 2022, Casey led a bipartisan group of Senators respondence led by Casey in sending correspondence to DOJ Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding answers from the agency on its lack of website accessibility for people with disabilities. 

Earlier that month, Casey also had sent correspondence to VA Secretary Denis McDonough urging the agency to improve VA website accessibility for disabled veterans.

Casey also released a report from the VA from the VA which found that only 10 percent of VA websites are fully accessible for people with disabilities, as required by law, posing barriers to deaf, blind and paralyzed veterans as well as tens of thousands of veterans with other disabilities. 

On July 28, 2022, Casey’s Senate Aging Committee held a hearing that further investigated the issue the issue of federal website accessibility.

With Casey’s ongoing pressure, ultimately DOJ would finally release a report last week  for the first time in a decade.  

Reaction’s to DOJ’s website data release

Casey, Chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, quickly reacted to the release of DOJ data in a Feb. 22, 2023, press release, noting that the agency was required by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act to provide a report to Congress and the President every two years on federal technology accessibility. “Despite this mandate, the latest report was from 2012, leaving taxpayers in the dark for over a decade about the accessibility of government technology, including websites, for people with disabilities,” said the press release.

While new data confirmed the findings of Casey’s recent investigation that exposed widespread accessibility barriers to federal technology, the press release criticized the data as “insufficient and incomplete,” calling on DOJ and the entire federal government to prioritize technology and web accessibility and transparency.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires the federal government to make all its website information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Unfortunately, because of ongoing barriers to federal website and technology access, Casey charges that many people with disabilities—including seniors and veterans—are being barred from accessing key government resources, facing barriers to accessing information about COVID-19, filing claims and accessing health care, using VA kiosks, and more.

Casey’s repeated calls for data for transparency confirmed by his investigation that revealed that people with disabilities are being locked out of government services and are not given a level playing field in federal workplaces due to inaccessible technology. ”Unfortunately, after a decade of keeping the public in the dark, DOJ has not provided Americans with disabilities insight into what progress has been made over that time period—which will make it harder for the federal government to remedy these issues and ultimately improve web and technology accessibility,” says the Pennsylvania Senator. “It is clear that the federal government has a lot more work to do to make technology accessibility and transparency a priority and fulfill our promise to Americans with disabilities, older adults, and veterans,” he said.

Casey urged the DOJ to improve transparency around Section 508 compliance by returning to their mandated biennial reporting and ensuring their reports are modeled more closely after the agency’s 2012 web report  instead of an abridged data set that DOJ released last week 

Taking a closer look 

DOJ’s recently released report, based on data from Feb. 2021 through August 2022, compiled in partnership with the General Services Administration, found that one in 10 public-facing websites at major federal departments and agencies are not fully accessible for people with disabilities. In addition, three in five internal websites at major federal departments and agencies are not fully accessible to people with disabilities.

According to the data, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor, Department of State, and VA reported that 50 percent or less of the public-facing websites that were tested comply with federal accessibility requirements.

The DOJ data noted that some departments and federal agencies did not report conducting any accessibility testing of internal websites. It not clear what steps departments and agencies are taking to test other types of technology covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. 

DOJ data indicated that key government agencies, including DOJ itself, as well as the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, and the Environmental Protection Agency did not have adequate “resources committed and/or staff trained to implement policies, processes, and procedures.” These shortfalls in staffing were reflected in data regarding the low number of federal and contract employees directly supporting Section 508 programs in many agencies. 

DOJ also found that “agency maturity remains largely unchanged from prior reporting,” raising concerns that, despite over a decade of technological evolution, many federal government agencies have not made efforts to improve and better integrate Section 508 compliance and ensure the federal government’s resources are available for people with disabilities, including taxpayers and federal workers.

Finally, Casey observed that DOJ’s recommendations underscore many of the recommendations he made in his report, which called for enhanced oversight and transparency from DOJ regarding Section 508 compliance as well as better integration of accessibility into everyday oversight efforts at every federal agency.