USAging’s policy team continues to work closely with key Senate staff to advocate for our OAA reauthorization recommendations and respond to other proposals being floated for inclusion in the reauthorization bill. While not all Senators’ proposals will be introduced as stand-alone bills, some have been, including bills from Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), Ranking Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. USAging has endorsed several of these bills, including Senator Braun’s bill to allow OAA Title III D health and wellness programs to be evidence-informed, not just evidence-based, which is based on USAging’s recommendation. Allowing evidence-informed programs under III D will expand the Aging Network’s ability to reach older adults with emerging interventions and will extend the reach of these programs, especially in rural and underfunded areas. USAging hopes this proposal will be included in the final OAA reauthorization bill as there appears to be broad support for the measure in the Senate. 
 
The Senate working group on OAA reauthorization continues to consider and debate a range of proposals to amend the Act and hopes to mark up a bill by the end of July. The House has not yet begun work on reauthorization, but USAging hopes the Senate momentum can jumpstart that process in July.  
 
As the reauthorization process continues throughout the summer, we need your help to keep our momentum! We encourage you to visit our OAA reauthorization campaign page to use our template letter to write to Congress, spread the message across social media with our toolkit and activate your grassroots network with our template advocacy alert.