§242q–1 Membership

Summary

Creates a Task Force made up of top health officials, two members of the House, two Senators, and three people from the public. It includes officials such as the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Surgeon General, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, the Director of the National Institute on Aging (and other NIH directors the Secretary picks), the Commissioners or Administrators of agencies like the Administration on Aging, the Food and Drug Administration, VA Health, SAMHSA, CMS, Social Security, and AHRQ. The House members are chosen by the Speaker with input from the Minority Leader. The Senate members are chosen by the Majority Leader with input from the Minority Leader. No more than one member from each body may be from the same political party. The three public members are picked by the Secretary and must include one person from a nonprofit for older Americans, one from a private health charity focused on older Americans, and one from a nonprofit that does related research. The Secretary will serve as Chair through either the Assistant Secretary for Health or the Director of the National Institute on Aging. A majority of members makes a quorum, though fewer can hold hearings. The Task Force must meet at least twice a year. Members who are not full-time federal employees may be paid a rate set by the Secretary, but not higher than the GS‑18 rate under section 5332 of title 5, and may get travel pay and per diem as allowed under section 5703 of title 5.