Department of Aging – Aging Services – Program Repeal and Consolidation
HB36 restructures Maryland’s aging-services law by repealing several older statutory provisions that required the Secretary of Aging and the former Interagency Committee on Aging Services to develop and coordinate specific senior programs. In their place, the bill gives the Department of Aging broader authority to implement, coordinate, and supervise aging services for older adults, including the ability to enter agreements, adopt regulations, and work with area agencies on aging, nonprofit organizations, counties, and other entities.
The bill also preserves and consolidates service-delivery functions around “single points of entry” in each planning and service area. These access points are intended to help older adults and caregivers get information, assess needs, and connect to services such as transportation, nutrition, housing, health insurance counseling, respite care, and employment or volunteer opportunities. The bill further directs the Department to develop a coordinated system for older adults needing long-term services and supports so they can age in place with appropriate services, housing, and care options.
HB36 repeals multiple sections of the Human Services Article related to the Interagency Committee on Aging Services and replaces them with a consolidated framework under the Department of Aging. It updates statutory definitions to refer to “older adults” rather than “seniors,” expands the Department’s rulemaking and coordination authority, and revises the legal structure for single-point-of-entry programs and long-term services and supports. It also expressly authorizes services such as assisted living subsidies, home modifications, meal coordination, and other services that may reduce risks from natural, technological, or human-made hazards, including climate change.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial in the legislature. It passed the House 131-0 and the Senate 46-0, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. The absence of recorded committee testimony in the provided materials also suggests there was little public opposition or debate captured in the available record.
No major points of contention are evident in the provided materials. The main policy choice is structural: replacing the former interagency committee model with direct Department of Aging coordination and allowing more flexible partnerships with area agencies on aging, nonprofits, and other persons. The transition provisions for people enrolled in Senior Care, Senior Assisted Living Subsidy, and Congregate Housing Services programs are the most sensitive part of the bill, because they require person-centered assessments and transition planning to avoid service disruptions, but no opposition to that approach is reflected in the votes or transcripts provided.