One thing legislators love to do is to form task forces to study issues. Given COVID-19’s impact on the elderly population, we’re seeing a number of states form groups to study topics related to senior care. From a task force to study the needs of people with dementia to a council to examine the state of long-term care, legislators intend for these groups to review issues and report back to them to determine whether legislative changes may be necessary to better serve the elderly.
While getting more data to support good policies is a laudable goal, one problem we see is that the RAL industry is not adequately represented in the membership of these groups. Thus, the data gathered or conclusions reached may not reflect the viewpoints or contributions of RAL home owners, operators, or residents.
If you see task forces like this forming in your state, we encourage RALNA members to reach out to your state representatives to make sure you have a seat at the table and that your voice for the industry is heard.
Currently, bills to form a task force or other similar group are pending in Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, and New York.
You can check the RALNA Legislative Tracker for real time updates on the proposed legislation that we’re watching.
