House committee hears bill to create senior independent-living ombuds; supporters cite safety gaps, providers urge more stakeholdering

House members heard testimony Jan. 15 on House Bill 2,299, which would direct the Department of Commerce to contract with a nonprofit to provide ombuds services to residents of senior independent-living facilities.

Representative Christine Reeves, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee the measure is intended to fill a protection gap for seniors who live in independent-living units that are currently treated as multifamily housing under state law. Reeves described constituent complaints including long delays getting elevators repaired and a case in which an older resident was not found in his vehicle for a week, saying the ombuds would provide "a trusted individual and a resource that they can go to to help them navigate the system." She told members the bill does not change building codes but would create an ombuds role focused on housing expertise, consumer-protection law, landlord-tenant law or legal-system expertise.

Committee staff summarized the bill’s functions: coordinating statewide ombuds services for senior independent living, collecting and analyzing complaint and condition data, handling complaints…