Legislation designed to improve the quality and access to elder care was overwhelmingly approved by both the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support.

As the nation's elderly population steadily grows, there is an urgent need to provide better resources and assistance to our seniors.

That is why a top priority for House Democrats this legislative session was a bill (HB 5001) that takes a significant step toward achieving this important goal.

"The urgency is real," said House Chair of the Aging Committee Rep. Jane Garibay (D-Windsor). "This has the potential to reshape public policy on aging for our state."

The legislation, which passed with bipartisan support by a margin of 143-3 in the House of Representatives and 36-0 in the Senate, helps protect and prioritize services for elderly residents in our state in a variety of ways including:

• Making it easier for seniors to age in place
• Creating a nursing home database, providing consumers with an easy and reliable way to compare locations around the state
• Establishing incentives to encourage nursing homes to improve care

In many ways a society is judged on how it treats its elders. We are glad to support our seniors and give them the attention and resources they deserve.

You can read an article from Hearst Media on the Elder Care legislation here.