Summary:
  • Negotiations in Congress are underway on the American Rescue Plan and we anticipate the process will be largely driven by House Democrats.
  • Lawmakers have set a goal to pass this comprehensive relief legislation prior to March 14 before pandemic unemployment insurance expires.
  • We are asking for an allocation of $5 billion for senior living operators by using and expanding the definition of assisted living in the Older Americans Act to include other senior congregate care settings.
  • We are continuing to meet with key Democratic Senators, but we need your help with targeted grasstops outreach.
  • Attached you’ll find sample language to send to your lawmakers and our latest talking points and infographics, as well as a list of our suggested members to contact below.
________
 
Negotiations are moving in earnest to realize President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan COVID-19 relief proposal. FY 2021 budget resolutions were passed late last week by both the House and Senate to open up the budget reconciliation process, which allows for tax- and spending-related legislation to be passed with simple majorities in both chambers and for Democrats to enact legislation without Republican support. We anticipate that this process will largely be driven by House Democrats and the Senate will make a number of technical changes that must be agreed to by the House before being considered by President Biden.

We are currently reviewing the initial legislative text that was released this week by House committees of jurisdiction and will share these analyses as soon as they are available. We anticipate this process to move fairly quickly; markup hearings are already underway, and lawmakers have set a goal of passing legislation prior to the expiration of pandemic unemployment insurance on March 14. Further, this package may be the only comprehensive COVID-19 relief legislation advanced by Congress this year, as only one budget reconciliation package may be passed per fiscal year; a second reconciliation package on other issues may be considered later this year using the FY 2022 budget vehicle. Additional but likely smaller and narrower-in-scope bipartisan packages may also be considered throughout the year.

We are working in close partnership with our lobbyists, consultants retained by our members, and other senior living partners to relay our priorities to be included in this process. While the initial Biden proposal included $20 billion for a national vaccination program, it did not provide specific details on relief to senior living communities. And based on current negotiations, we do not believe that lawmakers are likely to include any additional funding for the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). Therefore, we are underscoring the need for a specific allocation of $5 billion to be made to senior living operators by expanding the definition of assisted living in the Older Americans Act to include other senior congregate settings such as independent living. We are also requesting funds to be released from the PRF to those who applied last year and are awaiting funds, and for senior living communities to be prioritized for vaccine distribution.

We have met with or have scheduled meetings with key Democratic Senators, including Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Finance Chair Ron Wyden, Aging Chair Bob Casey, Joe Manchin, Tina Smith, Sheldon Whitehouse, Robert Menendez, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Debbie Stabenow, as well as members of House Democratic leadership. We thank those of you who have offered your time and support for these meetings and are calling on all Argentum members to join these efforts and ensure lawmakers hear from as many voices as possible on our industry’s needs.

Call to Action
In this critical advocacy effort, we encourage all members to help echo our outreach in any way possible, including:
  1. Participate in and share our latest Standing With Seniors grassroots letter-writing campaign (Take Action: Residents, Family Members, Community Staff, Senior Care Advocate).
  2. Complete our grasstops survey to share any relationships you have with lawmakers—we may call on these depending on the roles of certain lawmakers in this process.
  3. Register for, and encourage your colleagues to register for the upcoming virtual Public Policy Institute February 22-24. We have invited several key members of Congress and the Biden administration to address the session, and will be taking our message to the Hill through virtual meetings arranged in coordination with our state partners.
  4. Meet with lawmakers and their staff (key offices below) and share the attached infographic and leave-behind, relaying our priority talking points.
 
Congressional Contacts
Please refer to this table (.xlsx, 18.1 KB) for contact information for the key congressional offices we are targeting in our advocacy efforts. Please focus outreach to lawmakers who have your company’s communities in their state/district and consider the constituent-role (i.e., how many communities and residents are served in that state or district, and by how many frontline caregivers).
 
You can use these documents to assist in your congressional outreach efforts:

Once again, thank you for your continued support. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need any assistance with outreach, or if there’s anything we can do.


James R. Balda
President & CEO

ARGENTUM | Expanding Senior Living
1650 King Street, 6th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22314
D: 703.562.1190 | C: 703.209.2601