Summary of Legislative Agenda

Tier One Priorities

• Promote access to home and community services through a national long-term care financing strategy, Medicaid improvements, direct care worker reforms, and family caregiver supports

• Engage in a national initiative to ensure Medicare’s long-term sustainability

• Advocate for rational, nonpartisan discussion on the sustainability of Medicare over the long term, recognizing that Medicare spending is directly related to health care spending and that future challenges arise primarily from the increasing number of eligible beneficiaries.

• Support state efforts to enable and implement Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

• Increase appropriations for Older Americans Act (OAA) programs

Tier Two Priorities

• Increase funding for specific aging services programs

• Strengthen low-income Medicare programs to ensure that vulnerable seniors are able to access their needed prescription drugs and other health care services.

• Improve access to evidence-based chronic care community interventions in health care reform

Tier One Priorities

• Advocate and work for full funding of the Second Chance Act.

• Work to strengthen and enhance kinship care opportunities.

• Promote policies that support and strengthen families to help them break the cycle of poverty.

• Expand employment and training opportunities for low-income workers.

• Promote policies that allow formerly incarcerated individuals to earn a living wage.

Tier Two Priorities

• Increase the minimum wage and ensure that it is automatically increased to keep pace with inflation.

• Improve the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to be more inclusive for more workers.

• Provide adequate funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG).

• Maintain the integrity and strength of the Medicaid program.

• Support policies that provide integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment.

• Strengthen the Food Stamp Program to better assist the working poor and the elderly.