,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fdai ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #ca1 #bjbj ,mr4 ,cartwright 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,buchanan1 ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,soto1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 and ,mr4 ,rush7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and ,labor ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,older ,americans ,act of #aife to authorize a national network of statewide senior legal hotlines1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,senior ,legal ,hotline ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,statewide senior legal hotlines ,subtitle ,b of title ,,vii of the ,older ,americans ,act of #aife 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjeh;aa et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #gec4 ,statewide senior legal hotlines 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,eligible entity 7,a7 ,in general ,the term eligible entity means a nonprofit organization or a partnership described in subparagraph 7,b7 that-- 7i7 provides legal assistance to older individuals at no cost to such individuals2 and 7ii7 7,i7 operates a senior legal hotline in existence on the date on which the entity submits an application under subsection 7c72 or 7,,ii7 demonstrates the capacity to provide legal assistance to older individuals through a statewide senior legal hotline4 7,b7 ,partnership ,a partnership described in this subparagraph is a partnership between-- 7i7 multiple nonprofit organizations2 or 7ii7 one or more nonprofit organizations with one or more ,state or local governments4 7#b7 ,senior legal hotline ,the term senior legal hotline means a program or partnership of programs that-- 7,a7 provides legal services1 such as counseling1 advice1 advocacy1 information1 referrals1 and other services1 as appropriate1 to older individuals on a broad range of civil legal issues2 7,b7 provides such services by telephone and by other forms of communication2 7,c7 provides such services at no cost to the older individuals receiving such services2 7,d7 serves older individuals with the greatest social need and greatest economic need as a target population for such services2 and 7,e7 develops partnerships with other programs and legal assistance providers to ensure that older individuals who need more extensive services1 including representation1 have access to such services4 7#c7 ,statewide senior legal hotline ,the term statewide senior legal hotline means a senior legal hotline that serves older individuals throughout a ,state4 7b7 ,authorization ,the ,assistant ,secretary may award grants1 on a competitive basis1 to eligible entities that submit an application under subsection 7c7 to establish or operate a statewide senior legal hotline in accordance with the requirements under subsection 7d74 7c7 ,application process 7#a7 ,in general ,an eligible entity seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the ,assistant ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,assistant ,secretary may reasonably require1 including the contents described in paragraph 7#b74 7#b7 ,contents ,an application submitted under paragraph 7#a7 shall contain1 at a minimum1 each of the following3 7,a7 ,an identification of the ,state to be served by the statewide senior legal hotline4 7,b7 ,a plan indicating how the eligible entity will satisfy each requirement under subsection 7d7 with respect to establishing or operating a statewide senior legal hotline4 7,c7 ,an assurance that the eligible entity will be able to provide1 from non-,federal funds1 an amount equal to not less than #be percent of the estimated amount awarded through the grant under this section4 ,an eligible entity may use in-kind contributions to meet the matching requirement under this subparagraph4 7,d7 ,a description of the certification process the eligible entity has in place to ensure that staff members of and volunteers serving the statewide senior legal hotline will have no conflict of interest 7including any financial or substantive conflict of interest7 in providing services through the hotline4 7#c7 ,selection ,the ,assistant ,secretary shall1 in selecting eligible entities to receive a grant under this section-- 7,a7 consider-- 7i7 the extent to which the application submitted by the eligible entity under paragraph 7#b7 meets the requirements of such paragraph2 and 7ii7 the demonstrated capacity of the eligible entity to administer a statewide senior legal hotline1 including the experience and history of the eligible entity in delivering high quality advice1 assistance1 and other legal services1 to older individuals through low-cost and innovative methods2 and 7,b7 ensure that no #b eligible entities receiving a grant under this section for a fiscal year are planning to establish or operate a statewide senior legal hotline that serves the same ,state for such fiscal year4 7d7 ,requirements ,each eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall1 in establishing or operating a statewide senior legal hotline supported by such grant-- 7#a7 provide for a sufficient number of appropriately trained attorneys1 paralegals1 other staff members1 and volunteers to ensure effective delivery of the services described in subsection 7a77#b77;,a72 7#b7 collaborate with the appropriate ,state unit on aging1 including any legal assistance developer1 and free or low-cost legal service providers throughout the ,state1 including those who provide free legal assistance to older individuals1 to maximize coordination and cost-effective delivery of legal assistance to older individuals2 7#c7 strive to maximize coordination in the delivery of legal assistance to older individuals in the ,state1 including legal assistance funded by the ,legal ,services ,corporation under the ,legal ,services ,corporation ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #biif et seq471 legal assistance supported by a grant under part ,b of title ,,iii of this ,act1 legal assistance provided by a law school clinic1 and any other legal assistance provided at no cost to the persons receiving the assistance2 7#d7 build effective communication within the aging network operating in the ,state to provide coordinated assistance and referrals as appropriate2 7#e7 establish mechanisms to make referrals for representation and other assistance beyond the scope of the hotline to-- 7,a7 other divisions or projects of the same legal aid agency of which the hotline is a division or project2 7,b7 other legal aid agencies2 7,c7 private attorneys1 including those providing pro bono legal services2 7,d7 providers included in the aging network operating in the ,state2 7,e7 advocacy and assistance programs for older individuals2 or 7,f7 any other individuals or entities1 as appropriate2 and 7#f7 conduct outreach through the aging network operating in the ,state1 and by other means1 to inform older individuals about the availability of the services provided by the hotline1 specifically targeting older individuals with the greatest economic need and greatest social need4 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjba through #bjbe4 4