Assignment task:
Identify a bill. Using the Massachusetts legislature website, search for bills that affect older adults: Some suggested search terms: "senior" "elder" "elderly" "older adult." You may also find relevant bills by searching on specific policies, like Medicaid. Identify a bill that interests you. This bill will serve as the core issue that you will research for the remainder of the semester, so it would be best to look into some of the details surrounding the bill. Feel free to reach out (politely and respectfully, please) to the representative who is sponsoring the bill to learn a little about the context of the bill and what problem it is trying to solve. Once you have decided on a bill, produce a brief overview identifying the details of the bill, including:
- The title and number of the bill.
- Sponsor of the bill.
- In a few sentences, tell me your understanding of the bill.
- What problem pertaining to older people does the bill address?
- What is the bill aiming to achieve?
- How does the bill achieve its goals? What is the mechanism it is proposing to fix the problem?
- Copy and paste the text of the bill.
Some hints on picking a good bill: don't pick anything that's too complicated. If something doesn't have many co-sponsors (or any at all), that indicates that it may be a bit peripheral/wacky. (Remember, members have to introduce bills suggested by their constituents). A bill with a lot of sponsors is likely to be something that people are actively debating.