[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10441-S10442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DeWINE:
  S. 1536. A bill to amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to extend 
authorizations of appropriations for programs under the Act, to 
modernize programs and services for older individuals, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.


                    The Older Americans Act of 1999

 Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I am very pleased to introduce The 
Older Americans Act of 1999--a bill that will reauthorize some of the 
most important, vital, and successful programs the Federal government 
provides to senior citizens.
  The Older Americans Act created and is responsible for:
  Programs that provide nutrition both at home and at senior community 
centers;
  Programs that protect the elderly from abuse, neglect, and unhealthy 
nursing homes;
  Programs that offer valuable jobs to seniors;
  Programs that furnish transportation; and
  Programs that render in-home services such as assistance with house-
hold tasks.

[[Page S10442]]

  As we approach the new millennium, these services and many others 
become more and more important--in fact, essential--to the continued 
well-being and prosperity of our nation's senior community. We are an 
aging nation. Today, 12.7% of the United States' population is over the 
age of 65. By the year 2030, that number will grow to 20%, and there is 
no indication that this trend will subside. Americans are living 
longer; many of them are healthier, wealthier, and better educated than 
Americans from two generations or even one generation ago.
  The Older Americans Act is a key component in ensuring not only 
valuable supportive services to lower-income older Americans, but also 
in establishing new and reliable services from which every older 
American can benefit.
  First, I want to focus on the services this reauthorization 
guarantees will continue--and for which, we hope, it will secure 
additional funding. The largest, and one of the most important, 
portions of the Older Americans Act has always been nutrition 
programming. There are two essential and equally important parts of the 
Act's nutrition programming: meals served in senior citizens centers, 
and meals delivered to individuals' homes.
  Providing meals in congregate settings allows people to eat with 
friends, take advantage of other social or informative opportunities, 
and be assured of a healthy diet.
  Home delivered meal programs give homebound individuals similar 
assurances of a healthy diet. Additionally, programs such as Meal-On-
Wheels also often give homebound seniors their only contact with the 
community. Those who deliver meals will also often help with minor 
chores and make sure that the senior they are visiting is in good 
general health.
  Under this reauthorization, congregate meal funding is protected by 
maintaining the law's language allowing a State to transfer no more 
than 30% of its congregate meal funding to home-delivered programs. 
Likewise, States will receive increased flexibility, through a waiver 
process, to request that any necessary amount be moved from congregate 
meal funds to meet the growing needs of homebound seniors.
  Another established service that would be improved by this bill is 
advocacy and protection. After a hearing that the Subcommittee on Aging 
dedicated to the issue of elder abuse, we made sure to include 
protection for elders not only from physical abuse and neglect, but 
also from financial abuse and exploitation. We also tied State and 
local advocacy and protection services directly to State and local law 
enforcement agencies as well as to the court system.
  During another of the Subcommittee on Aging's several hearings, we 
discussed the Senior Community Employment Service Program--the only 
Federally funded jobs program geared specifically for older Americans. 
The bill makes sure that the initial focus of the program, to provide 
seniors opportunities in community service jobs, stays intact. However, 
in light of the changing demographics among many senior communities and 
more and more seniors staying very active and capable for longer 
periods of time, the bill creates another focus: employment in the 
private sector and in a wider array of jobs.
  To do this, the bill creates strong links between the recently passed 
Workforce Investment Act and the Senior Community Employment Service 
Program. This will allow qualified seniors easy access to their State's 
workforce investment system and enhance their opportunity to choose 
which jobs they want. Likewise, these links will provide seniors in the 
State workforce investment systems easy access to the Senior Community 
Employment Service Program.

  Mr. President, as I mentioned, in addition to highlighting and 
improving the essential services that the Older Americans Act has 
provided so well for so long, this reauthorization also establishes new 
and equally reliable services from which every older American will be 
able to benefit.
  I thank Senator Grassley, and the Senate's Special Committee on 
Aging, for all his work, hearings, research, and help in developing two 
such services. The first is the National Family Caregiver Support Act, 
and the second is the Older Americans Act's new Pension Counseling 
program.
  The National Family Caregiver Support Act, through a network of Area 
Agencies on Aging and service providers, will provide family members--
nonprofessional or informal caregivers--valuable information and 
assistance about how to begin and continue caring for an aging 
relative. During another of our Subcommittee hearings, we heard moving 
testimony from a woman who decided that instead of placing her mother 
in a costly nursing home that would provide questionable care, she 
would bring her mother home and give her the care and attention she 
believed her mother needed and deserved.
  She did this at no small cost to herself. She had to discontinue her 
doctorate program. She had to find a job that had more accommodating 
hours and unfortunately with lower pay. She found that the State agency 
on aging and other bureaucratic ``assistance'' were more trouble than 
they were worth.
  She needed advice about lifting her mother, feeding her mother, 
medications, and many other challenges. Most of all, however, she said 
she just needed a break. The critical part of the National Family 
Caregiver Support Act would give her that break in the form of respite 
care; someone to take over for her for a weekend, a day, even a few 
hours so she could shop for herself, complete some overtime work, or 
just rest.
  The Caregiver Support Act also introduces an inter-generational 
element. During the Subcommittee's field hearing in Cleveland, we heard 
from grandmothers who, for any number of reasons, were now caring for 
their grandchildren. In some cases, their own children were addicted to 
drugs or in prison. Rather than relinquish their grandchildren to 
foster care, they took on the responsibilities of raising them. These 
women, and many other older Americans who now are raising children for 
the second time around, also need help. They need guidance, 
information, and respite care. Our bill would do that.
  Another new initiative is the Pension Counseling program. This 
program would provide desperately needed assistance to retirees who are 
in jeopardy of losing their pensions or are having difficulty receiving 
their pensions payments. As more and more individuals retire with more 
complicated pension, cost sharing, and IRA retirement plans, this will 
become an invaluable service.
  Mr. President, the Older Americans Act of 1999 will accomplish some 
long overdue changes. Reauthorizing this Act is a key step toward 
preparing this nation for the aging boom of the next few decades. 
However, I want to emphasize that as promising as this legislation is--
and as encouraged as I am by its introduction--it is still a work in 
progress. There are outstanding issues that need further attention and 
that require additional compromise. I look forward to working with all 
of my colleagues to resolve these issues throughout the August recess.
  I would like to thank Senator Milkulski, the Subcommittee's ranking 
member, for all her work, expertise, and assistance in developing this 
bill. I would also like to thank Senator Gregg for establishing the 
ground work as the Subcommittee's previous Chairman and for his 
expertise and input. Thank you also to Senators Hutchinson, Jeffords, 
McCain, Kennedy, and Wyden for all they and their staffs have 
contributed to the bill.
  I look forward to continuing our work on this bill, to quickly 
resolving any outstanding concerns, and moving on to final passage of a 
new and long awaited Older Americans Act.
                                 ______