[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 120 (Thursday, September 5, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S9982]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            OLDER AMERICANS INDIAN TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS ACT

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar No. 569, S. 1972.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1972) to amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 
     to improve the provisions relating to Indians, and for other 
     purposes.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the bill?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I wish to thank my colleagues for voting 
to adopt S. 1972, a bill to amend the Older Americans Act. S. 1972 
makes technical corrections to the Act to clarify and improve the 
provisions relating to older Native Americans.
  Mr. President, many older Native Americans have benefited from 
programs authorized under the Older Americans Act. Indian tribes have 
provided much needed home-based care, meals and services to elderly 
tribal members living on Indian reservations and in nearby communities. 
In most cases, older Native Americans live in remote and isolated 
communities with little or no access to a grocery store, telephone, 
health care and other important services. Through the Older Americans 
Act, nutrition and support services can be provided to older Native 
Americans in their homes and communities on a daily basis.
  However, many of these services can be strengthened to ensure that 
Indian tribes are able to tailor nutritional and supportive programs to 
the cultural and geographic characteristics of their communities. 
Often, employment and nutrition programs are difficult to administer in 
Indian country because of the remoteness of the service area and the 
unique character of Indian cultures. The changes in S. 1972 will ensure 
that Indian tribes and tribal organizations serving Native American 
elders will be afforded maximum flexibility in administering employment 
and nutrition programs to ensure that they are appropriate to the 
unique characteristics of the Indian communities.
  Mr. President, I have proposed a minor technical change to the bill 
as it was reported in the Committee on Indian Affairs. This amendment 
to Section 2 of the bill is necessary to clarify that the proposed 
change to the definition of ``reservation'' will not alter any existing 
eligibility for Indians living near an Indian reservation.
  Mr. President, I wish to express my appreciation to Senators Inouye 
and Stevens, who joined me in sponsoring this legislation and my 
colleagues in the Senate who voted to pass S. 1972. This Act will bring 
us closer to meeting the goals of the Older Americans Act to ensure 
that older Native Americans will continue to benefit from the services 
provided by the Act.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
deemed read the third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid 
upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be placed 
at the appropriate place in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 1972) was deemed read the third time, and passed.
  (The text of the bill will be printed in a future edition of the 
Record.)

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