[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 22, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E878-E879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING OLDER AMERICANS MONTH IN MAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 21, 2002

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Older Americans 
Month, May 2002. The theme this year is America: A Community for All 
Ages, recognizing the national community in which we live, and paying 
tribute to the multi-generational family that is the strength of 
America.
  Older members of our families and communities provide us with a 
historical perspective and contribute to our nation's greatness and 
prosperity. The experiences, stories, and knowledge of our senior 
citizens are integral to our understanding of our country and our 
world. To help preserve their stories I am proud to have authored 
legislation during the 106th Congress that created the Veterans History 
Project. The Veterans History Project is run by the Library of 
Congress, which coordinates a collection of video and audio recordings 
of the personal histories of American war veterans, as well as copies 
of their letters, diaries, and photographs. The library will also 
establish a publicly accessible archive for these recordings and 
documents.
  Beyond this project, I have always strongly advocated for legislation 
that supports our Nation's seniors. Two of the most important

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issues facing older Americans today are Social Security and 
prescription drug coverage under medicare.
  The solvency of Social Security is a serious concern for all 
Americans. I have consistently supported legislation that shores up and 
secures Social Security benefits for our older Americans. For example, 
I am an original cosponsor of H.R. 4671, the Social Security Widow's 
Benefit Guarantee Act. This bill would increase widows' and widowers' 
Social Security Benefits to 75 percent of the combined amount the 
couple had been receiving prior to the death of the spouse. In a 
typical case, a widow's benefit would increase by 12 percent, or more 
than $100/month. The House just passed the Republican version of this 
bill, which is a good first step toward ensuring these benefits.
  Similarly, the rising cost of prescription drugs is one of our most 
important health care challenges. Currently, senior citizens who pay 
for their own prescription medication pay more than twice as much for 
drugs than do the pharmaceutical companies' most favored customers. 
Exacerbating this problem is the fact that even though seniors use the 
most prescriptions, over 75 percent of seniors on Medicare lack 
reliable drug coverage.
  Recently, both Republicans and Democrats have talked about 
introducing and passing legislation that provides prescription drug 
benefit under Medicare. I am working with my colleagues to craft 
legislation that would provide a voluntary Medicare prescription drug 
benefit, providing access for every senior no matter where they live or 
what their income.
  Easy solutions to the high cost of prescription drugs and the 
solvency of Social Security do not exist. It is my hope that as the 
107th Congress progresses, my colleagues will not forget about the 
needs of our older Americans, and will continue to work for legislation 
that preserves the benefits our Nation's seniors richly deserve.

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