Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006

OLDER AMERICANS ACT AMENDMENTS OF 2006 -- (Senate - September 29, 2006)

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I commend Chairman ENZI, Senator DEWINE, Senator MIKULSKI, Chairman MCKEON, Representative TIBERI, Representative MILLER, and Representative HINOJOSA for their bipartisan leadership in reauthorization the Older Americans Act. It's been a lifeline for senior citizens across the country for 40 years, and all of us want it to continue to fullfill its important mission 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.

Last year, 1,200 bi-partisan delegates were chosen by the Governors of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Territories to attend the first White House Conference on Aging since 1985. Over the years these conferences have served as catalysts for change, and this conference was no different. The delegates called for reauthorization of the Older Americans Act as their No. 1 priority and I'm pleased that Congress has answered their call.

As we all know, the baby boomer generation is retiring. One in nine Americans are over age 65 today, but by the year 2030, the number will be one in five.

Our authorization bill is designed to take some of the necessary steps to put the infrastructure in place to provide services that will be needed by those retirees. It requires State and local agencies to acknowledge the dramatically changing demographics and to plan ahead. I hope Congress will continue to build on these efforts in coming years and provide increased funds for the important programs in this Act.

The Conference on Aging also focused on another important theme--the importance of civic engagement and community service by senior citizens.

Members of the new generation of older Americans obviously want to continue to be engaged in their communities after they retire, and it would make no sense for our society not to draw on their experience and knowledge in constructive ways.

The Older Americans Act already provides opportunities for employment of older Americans through the Senior Community Service Employment Program. According to a study by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University, the number of older persons aged 55 to 74 with income below 125 percent of poverty will increase from 6 million in 2005 to over 8 million in 2015. Our bill strengthens job training for seniors to involve them in the communities they love, and which also love them. Last year, the program supported 61,000 jobs and served 92,000 people.

Older Americans today provide 45 million hours of valuable service to their communities, particularly in senior centers, public libraries, and nutrition programs.

The bill is also intended to encourage good nutrition, healthy living, and disease prevention among seniors. The Meals on Wheels program, enacted in the 1970's, is one of its greatest successes, and Massachusetts has been in the forefront of efforts to provide community-based nutrition services to the elderly. The Massachusetts program coordinates twenty-eight 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.

Today it's estimated that 47 percent of the elderly eligible for Supplemental Security Income, 70 percent of seniors eligible for food stamps, 67 percent of people eligible for Qualified Medicare Beneficiary protections, and 87 percent of those eligible for Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary protections are not participating in these programs. Surely, we can do a better job of outreach to bring these programs to the attention of those who need them. Our bill addresses the need for better outreach to seniors about the healthcare, mental health services, and long-term care benefits available to them.

I also commend all of the staff members who have worked so hard to bring this bill to final passage today, especially Ellen-Marie Whelan and Keysha Brooks-Coley in Senator MIKULSKI's office, Lauren Fuller and Kori Forster in Senator Enzi's office, and Lindsay Morris and Karla Carpenter in Senator DEWINE's office.

This bill will mean better health and more fulfilling lives for both seniors and their communities in the years ahead, and I strongly support its passage.

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