[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 151 (Wednesday, October 21, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S12892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          OLDER AMERICANS ACT

 Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I come to the floor today with a 
sense of disappointment and frustration that Congress is adjourning 
without reauthorizing the Older Americans Act. Our senior citizens 
deserve better.
  In January, our Nation will enter the fourth year without an 
authorization for Older American programs which provide a multitude of 
support services for our Nation's elderly including: community-based 
long-term care, transportation, legal services, adult day care, ``Meals 
on Wheels'' and senior citizens centers. For our Nation's Indian 
tribes, it is the cornerstone of programs for their elderly and is the 
only federal legislation that allows them to directly plan for the 
needs of their elderly based on their culture and traditions.
  My personal concern about the lack of authorization for the OAA 
programs was heightened while traveling around my home state of 
Arizona. I continually hear from seniors concerned that the OAA 
programs are at serious risk because of Congress' failure to 
reauthorize them. They are particularly disturbed that funding for the 
programs has not been keeping up with inflation, thereby jeopardizing 
important programs for the most vulnerable elderly.
  I recognize the commitment of the Senate Subcommittee on Aging to 
produce a reauthorization bill, but I became concerned when the 
committee did not produce an OAA bill by July. It became clear to me 
that the limited time left in Congress' schedule would prevent the 
committee from completing their work and moving a bill through the full 
legislative process.
  This is why, on July 13, I introduced S. 2295, the Reauthorization of 
the Older Americans Act. I simply could not allow another year to go by 
without reaffirming Congress' support and commitment to older 
Americans.
  This bill would reauthorize the OAA using the same language from the 
1992 reauthorization which expired in 1995. The bill would extend the 
OAA until 2001, giving the Subcommittee on Aging and Congress 
sufficient time to thoroughly evaluate these programs and reconcile 
differences on the reforms needed if we are to ensure the relevance of 
the OAA, continue to meet our obligations to our current seniors, and 
be more adequately prepared to meet the needs of future seniors.
  Sixty-seven of my colleagues agree that Congress should reauthorize 
the OAA this year and alleviate the fears of our Nation's senior 
citizens who believe that these programs are in jeopardy. It is 
disheartening that a bill with such broad bipartisan support was 
prevented from being implemented due to the objections of a small 
minority. I am confident that their concerns could have been addressed 
even as we moved forward on a short-term extension.
  I remain committed to resolving this issue next year and will work 
with Senators Gregg and Mikulski to develop a bill that strengthens and 
more effectively defines the OAA programs for our Nation's elderly. It 
is imperative that we continue our efforts on behalf of older Americans 
and pass a bill which recognizes their unique needs and addressed those 
needs by reauthorizing the programs of the Older Americans Act.

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