[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 21 (Friday, February 17, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1460-S1461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PENSION RIGHTS CENTER'S 30TH ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I would like to recognize the great 
achievement of the Pension Rights Center as it celebrates its 30-year 
anniversary. Since its founding on February 17, 1976, the center has 
championed the pension rights of working Americans and their families. 
The center is one of the country's foremost leaders on pension issues 
from a consumer perspective and has made an enormous difference in the 
lives of millions of workers, retirees and their families.
  Over the years, the center has played a key role in identifying 
pension inequities and promoting reasonable solutions. They have played 
an instrumental role in shaping and ultimately helping to secure 
Federal laws and regulations that have expanded pension rights for 
widows, divorced spouses, and working people. The center is also the 
most trusted resource for pension information for policymakers, 
researchers, and the media on the highly complex pension issues 
translated from a consumer perspective.

[[Page S1461]]

  The center has led the way in helping individuals with their pension 
problems and in helping develop and coordinate the country's first 
nationwide pension information and assistance services for older 
Americans. The center provides backup legal training and technical 
assistance for the U.S. Administration on Aging's Pensions Counseling 
and Information Program. There are now currently six regional 
counseling projects that provide free assistance to thousands of 
individuals in 17 States.
  The center also has spearheaded the Conversation on Coverage, an 
innovative public policy initiative that has brought together a wide 
range of experts--including businesses, unions, financial institutions, 
and national retiree, women's, and consumer organizations--to find 
common ground approaches to increasing pension coverage. The 
Conversation on Coverage's three working groups are in the process of 
finalizing recommendations to expand pensions and savings for millions 
of Americans.
  The center's work is needed now more than ever. As baby boomers get 
closer to retirement, it is becoming clearer and clearer that they 
likely will not enjoy the retirement security that their parents have 
enjoyed. Younger workers are even more at risk. Many employers are 
backing away from their longstanding commitment to providing for their 
workers' retirement security.
  Thousands of pension plans have been terminated or frozen and 
thousands more are considering additional pension cutbacks. The center 
has always been at the forefront of protecting workers' pensions and in 
proposing innovative and workable solutions, and their efforts will be 
all the more critical in the days and years ahead.
  I wish the Pension Rights Center, its founder, Karen Ferguson, and 
the dedicated staff a very healthy 30th anniversary.

                          ____________________