1. (a) A county or municipal corporation may establish a process to certify communities as Communities for a Lifetime under the Maryland Communities for a Lifetime Program.

2. (b) The Department shall recommend criteria that local jurisdictions may use to certify Communities for a Lifetime, including:

   1. (1) the extent to which a community has sought and plans to expand public health, prevention, and wellness programs that serve older adults;
   2. (2) the extent to which a community has sought and plans to expand affordable transportation options;
   3. (3) the extent to which a community has sought and plans to expand affordable rental housing and the ability to own affordable homes;
   4. (4) the extent to which a community has sought and plans to expand employment, civic engagement, recreation, and leisure options for older adults; and
   5. (5) the extent to which a community has sought and plans to expand other initiatives that boost the abilities of older adults to age in place.
3. (c) A Community for a Lifetime shall submit to the Department on or before September 1 each year a progress report on the community's efforts to enable aging in place and a report on the community's plans to enable aging in place in the future.

Added by Acts 2011, c. 295, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2011.