Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - June 27, 2006)
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Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, the Older Americans Act has been a lifeline for senior citizens across the country for 40 years, and all of us want it to continue to fulfill its important role in the years ahead.
Like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the Older Americans Act is part of our commitment to care for the nation's seniors in their golden years.
This year, the first of the members of the baby boom generation will be eligible for the act's services. One in nine Americans are over age 65 today. By the year 2030, the number will be one in five.
It is clear we need to get our priorities right in this reauthorization. That means starting now to put the infrastructure in place to provide services to baby boomers who retire. This bill takes some of the necessary steps. It requires State and local agencies to acknowledge the changing demographics and to plan ahead. I hope Congress will continue to build on these efforts in the coming years and provide increased funds for the important programs in this act.
Our bill also encourages civic activities by seniors. Numerous examples exist of successful volunteer programs involving seniors, such as Senior Corps, Experience Corps, and Family Friends, and we need to build on these successes.
The members of the new generation of older Americans obviously want to be engaged in their communities after they retire, and it is essential to draw on their experience and knowledge in constructive ways.
The bill is also intended to encourage good nutrition, healthy living and disease prevention among seniors. The Meals on Wheels program, enacted in the 1970s, is one of its greatest successes, and Massachusetts has been in the forefront of the effort to provide community-based nutrition services to the elderly. Our State program coordinates 28 nutrition projects throughout the State to deal with poor nutrition and social isolation of seniors. Our bill will expand the ability of programs such as Meals on Wheels to reach all older individuals who need better nutrition.
According to the Census Bureau, 6.7 million persons aged 55 or older will be living in poverty by 2008, a 22 percent increase since 2000. By 2015, the number will increase to 9 million if the current trend continues.
The Older Americans Act also provides essential opportunities for employment of older Americans through the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which offers job training for seniors and involves them in the communities which they love, and which also love them. Last year, the program supported 61,000 jobs and served 92,000 people.
Congress created this program to provide older adults with community service opportunities. We recognized that senior citizens are especially valuable assets to the communities in which they live. Through community service, older adults are also provided with the job training they need to become self-sufficient in the workforce.
Unfortunately, in recent years the focus on community service has blurred, and many of us are concerned about the administration's lack of interest in maintaining this important aspect of the program.
Older Americans today provide 45 million hours of valuable service to their communities, particularly in senior centers, public libraries, and nutrition programs.
Overall, our bill maintains the emphasis on community service and enables the program to continue to serve older Americans efficiently and well. As this bill moves forward, it is essential that community service remain paramount and that any attempts to weaken this program be defeated.
This is a good bipartisan bill and I support its passage.
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