[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 117 (Tuesday, September 19, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H6700-H6702]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1815
               RECOGNIZING AND HONORING AMERICA'S SENIORS

  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 874) recognizing and honoring 
America's seniors, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows

                              H. Res. 874

       Whereas older Americans have made countless contributions 
     to the strength of the United States;
       Whereas older Americans include members of the ``Greatest 
     Generation'' who fought in World War I, World War II, the 
     Korean War, and other military conflicts, and have sacrificed 
     at home and abroad to keep America free;
       Whereas in the United States and much of the world, older 
     individuals throughout history have been viewed with respect, 
     honor, and dignity as sources of wisdom and experience;
       Whereas this year the first of the ``baby boom'' generation 
     turn age 60, adding to the 49 million Americans who are age 
     60 or older, including over 5 million who are older than age 
     85; and
       Whereas the talent and experience of older Americans can be 
     utilized to meet community needs in critical areas such as 
     education, health, community-based and faith-based social 
     services, and homeland security: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the importance of older Americans to the 
     Nation's past and future;
       (2) encourages multigenerational activities providing 
     opportunities for children and students to listen and learn 
     from older Americans; and
       (3) urges all Americans to honor and respect older 
     Americans, and to offer appreciation for their contributions 
     to the strength of the United States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Kuhl) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on H. Resolution 874.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Resolution 874, a 
bipartisan resolution to honor older Americans.
  Today, supporting the needs of older Americans is more important than 
ever. More than 49 million people in the United States are over the age 
of 60, making it the fastest-growing group in the country. By the year 
2050, just a short time away, that number will reach nearly 90 million 
people and comprise almost a quarter of our population.
  This resolution recognizes the countless contributions that older 
Americans have made to the strength of our Nation. They include members 
of the Greatest Generation, who fought in World War I and in World War 
II and the Korean War and other military conflicts. They have 
sacrificed at home and abroad to keep America free.
  Mr. Speaker, with an increasing number of Americans as they retire, 
our Nation can continue to benefit from the rich talent and experience 
of these citizens. In communities across the United States, older 
Americans work and volunteer through community-based and faith-based 
organizations to support education, health services for the poor and 
other vital community needs. In June the Education and Workforce 
Committee approved bipartisan legislation to strengthen and reform the 
Older Americans Act. The Senior Independence Act, as it is called, 
transforms and modernizes the law to meet the needs of today's seniors 
and the needs of the Nation as the population ages. Final enactment 
will help older Americans to identify home- and community-based long-
term care options, including consumer-directed care models as well as 
other supportive services that can help prevent or delay the need for 
expensive institutional care. These reforms will help millions of 
Americans stay healthy and remain in their homes and communities and 
could yield significant savings. I say that again: and could yield 
significant savings to taxpayers.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased this body is taking this time today to 
honor older Americans for their many contributions to the strength of 
our great Nation, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page H6701]]

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I would like to express my strong support for House Resolution 874, a 
resolution recognizing and honoring older Americans. I would like to 
thank my friend and fellow Texan, Congressman Charlie Gonzalez, for 
bringing this resolution forward.
  As the resolution so eloquently states, older Americans have made 
countless contributions that have strengthened our Nation. We are 
gradually bidding farewell to our Greatest Generation that fought for 
our freedom and values during the Great Depression and two world wars. 
We must never forget their strength of character and willingness to 
sacrifice for the greater good of our Nation and our world.
  We are now welcoming the baby boom generation into the ranks of older 
Americans. This presents great challenges and great opportunities for 
our Nation. The challenge is to keep our intergenerational compact of 
Social Security and Medicare, not by privatization schemes or giveaways 
to special interests, but by prudent management and fiscal 
responsibility. We can meet that challenge.
  We have the opportunity to leverage the tremendous talent, the 
energy, and desire to make a difference that older Americans bring to 
our communities. This generation of older Americans is healthier and 
more educated than any generation before it. Its best years are yet to 
come. Our older Americans continue to make valuable contributions to 
our society every day. We must not waste this invaluable national 
resource.
  As we celebrate the contributions of older Americans today with this 
resolution, let us recommit ourselves to honoring them by completing 
the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act and supporting our 
Federal programs that improve the quality of life of older Americans 
and enable them to continue to contribute to their communities and to 
our great Nation.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones).
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
New York for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I join my friend Congressman Gonzalez of Texas and many 
of my colleagues to support H. Resolution 874, a resolution to 
recognize and honor older Americans for their role in helping make 
America great.
  It is so important that policymakers in Congress recognize the 
contributions of our Nation's seniors by keeping their needs in mind as 
we develop legislation. We must take this responsibility seriously as 
we consider issues such as Medicare, Social Security, veterans 
benefits, housing, and health care. We also owe it to our seniors and 
our seniors' grandchildren to do a better job of balancing the budget 
here in Washington, D.C. No matter what the issue, we must always work 
to ensure that the needs of our seniors do not get overlooked.
  I am thankful to the TREA Senior Citizens League, the largest 
nonpartisan seniors group in the Nation, and its national chairman, 
Ralph McCutchen, for supporting this resolution.
  The sacrifice of our seniors and the Greatest Generation should not 
go unrecognized. And, again, I thank my friend from Texas for 
introducing this resolutions. And I am pleased to support this 
resolution and encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
support the resolution.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to my good friend and 
colleague Charlie Gonzalez from San Antonio, who serves on the Energy 
and Commerce Committee.
  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend Mr. Hinojosa, my 
colleague from Texas, for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I sincerely thank my colleagues on the Education and 
Workforce Committee, especially Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member 
George Miller, who was here earlier, for bringing this bill to the 
floor. I also thank my friend Congressman Walter Jones for supporting 
this legislation from the very beginning and serving as its Republican 
lead. His efforts, in addition to those of his staff, have been very 
important throughout this process. I would also like to recognize, as 
Congressman Jones acknowledged, the Senior Citizens League and the 
important role they have played in promoting and supporting this 
resolution. Their chairman, Ralph McCutchen, wanted, above all, to see 
a bill that honors and pays tribute to the many sacrifices made by 
America's seniors, including those who have served in the military. I 
certainly appreciate the support demonstrated by this very important 
organization.
  This resolution recognizes the importance of honoring senior 
citizens. This can be done in countless numbers of ways, from simple 
gestures of kindness towards a stranger to the actions made by this 
Congress that will impact seniors as a whole.
  We are the policymakers. We should not make policy that makes it more 
difficult for seniors to vote. We should not have policy that makes it 
more difficult for seniors to obtain medical care. We should not enact 
policy that makes it more difficult for seniors to obtain prescription 
drugs or to afford housing.
  This resolution encourages children and students to take time to 
learn from senior citizens. It is imperative that we as a society 
facilitate the sharing of information among the different generations.
  I don't want anyone to get the idea that this resolution is about 
seniors and what they have accomplished in the past. In part it is, but 
they are not relegated to the past. And let me quickly explain.
  Today's seniors are active in our present-day workforce, contributing 
every day their ideas and their labor. They are part and parcel of this 
wonderful economy and capitalist system of our country. With their 
skill, their training, and their education in how they prepare those 
other generations, they are part of our future.
  I would like to end it with an observation. I was trying to figure 
out what constitutes a senior. Is it someone 60, 70, 80, 90? Well, age 
is important and it isn't important. It is important in this respect, 
and I am going to quote Sir Oliver Lodge: ``Never throw away hastily 
any old faith, tradition or convention . . . They are the result of the 
experience of many generations.''
  So age is important as far as experience and having the life 
experiences. I still remember my father, when I used to ask, that was a 
brilliant man, Dad, where did he go to school? And he said, it was the 
school of hard knocks. So many times it is just life experiences that 
will instill that wonderful knowledge that is imparted to succeeding 
generations.
  But age does not constitute and define seniors. And I will end it 
here with a quote from Satchel Paige: ``Age is a case of mind over 
matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter.''
  I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague Danny 
Davis from the great State of Illinois, who serves on the Education 
Committee and the Government Reform Committee.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman 
from Texas for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of our Nation's senior citizens.
  Senior citizens are a vital part of society to whom we have a 
responsibility of ensuring both economic and physical well-being. 
Seniors provide vital links to our past as well as serve as the 
caregivers to over 6.1 million of the Nation's children.
  I recognize the importance of caring for our elderly and providing 
them with the services they need to live independently. I have a 
Seniors and Eldercare Task Force, composed of an outstanding group of 
experts who advise me on key issues of importance to the seniors in my 
district. They advised me on key issues for the reauthorization of the 
Older Americans Act.
  Within the bipartisan process surrounding this bill, I am pleased 
that I was successful in including important changes to the act. My 
local experts said that seniors raising their grandchildren needed 
great access to financial support and information about

[[Page H6702]]

programs for which they are eligible. They said that seniors needed 
more services in their communities to avoid spending down their assets 
to qualify for Medicaid. They said that we needed a greater focus on 
mental health and elder justice. The reauthorization of the Older 
Americans Act addresses these needs, and I hope that this important 
legislation will pass this Congress.
  However, we must do more to assist grandparent caregivers. These 
grandparents make up 5.7 million households living with over 6.1 
million children, evidence that many of these grandparents are 
oftentimes caring for more than one child. In my congressional 
district, there are over 10,000 grandparents who are responsible for 
their grandchildren's needs. Indeed, the Seventh District of Illinois, 
my congressional district, has the highest percentage of children 
living with grandparents in the Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that you can measure the greatness of a 
society by how well it treats its young, how well it treats its old, 
and how well it treats those who have difficulty caring for themselves. 
In this case when we provide grandparents, senior citizens, with the 
opportunity to help raise their grandchildren, then we are doing the 
Nation a great service.
  I thank all of those who rose to support this legislation.

                              {time}  1830

  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, but I would like to make some 
closing remarks. I want to say that I had the pleasure of serving, 
together with Chairman Patrick Tiberi from Ohio, and together we led 
our committee through the effort of the reauthorization of the Older 
Americans Act.
  It was of great satisfaction to me, because we were able to pass 
amendments and requests for an increase in authorization for this very 
important act.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle. I urge my colleagues to support this 
resolution
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support and cosponsor H. Res. 
874, a resolution honoring America's senior citizens for their 
contributions to American life. I am particularly pleased by the 
language encouraging young people to seek out and talk to our Nation's 
seniors about these seniors' life experiences. Talking to beloved 
grandparents, aunts, uncles, or friends about their past is a great way 
to learn history and gain an understanding of the past that simply 
cannot be obtained from a textbook.
  I hope that, in the limited time left in this congressional session, 
we would further demonstrate our commitment to America's seniors by 
voting on my Senior Citizens' Improved Quality of Life Act, H.R. 5211. 
H.R. 5211 contains a number of items of great importance to America's 
seniors. H.R. 5211 helps seniors by:
  Repealing all taxes on Social Security benefits. Since Social 
Security benefits are financed with tax dollars, taxing these benefits 
is an example of double taxation. The benefits tax also reduces Social 
Security benefits by subterfuge.
  Ensuring that Social Security trust fund money is used only for 
Social Security. H.R. 5211 requires that all money raised for the 
Social Security trust fund will be spent in payments to beneficiaries, 
with excess receipts invested in interest-bearing certificates of 
deposit. This will keep Social Security trust fund money from being 
diverted to other programs, as well as allow the fund to grow by 
providing for investment in interest-bearing instruments. Ending the 
raid of the Social Security trust fund is a vital first step in any 
serious Social Security reform plan. Protecting the trust fund also 
demonstrates our commitment to putting the priorities of the American 
people ahead of special interest pork barrel spending.
  Repealing provisions of Federal law that restrict the ability of 
senior citizens to form private contracts for health care services. 
This restriction violates the rights of seniors who may wish to use 
their own resources to obtain procedures or treatments not covered by 
Medicare, or to simply avoid the bureaucracy and uncertainty that come 
when seniors must wait for the judgment of a Centers for Medicare and 
Medicaid Services, CMS, bureaucrat before finding out if a desired 
treatment is covered. H.R. 5211 also stops the Social Security 
Administration from denying Social Security benefits to seniors who 
refuse to enroll in Medicare Part A. Forcing seniors to enroll in 
Medicare Part A as a condition for receiving Social Security violates 
the promise represented by Social Security. Americans pay taxes into 
the Social Security trust fund their whole working lives and are 
promised that Social Security will be there for them when they retire. 
Yet, today, seniors are told that they cannot receive these benefits 
unless they agree to join another government program.
  Allowing seniors who neither want nor need to participate in the 
Medicare program to refrain from doing so and ensuring seniors have the 
freedom to use their own resources to obtain quality health care will 
strengthen the Medicare program for those seniors who do wish to 
receive Medicare benefits. Of course, H.R. 5211 does not take away 
Medicare benefits from any senior. It simply allows each senior to 
choose voluntarily whether or not to accept Medicare benefits.
  Ensuring that Social Security benefits only go to American citizens. 
Proposals, such as those contained in the Reid-Kennedy immigration 
bill, to allow noncitizens, including those who entered the country 
illegally, to receive Social Security benefits are a slap in the face 
to America's workers and seniors. H.R. 5211 ensures that only American 
citizens who have paid into the Social Security trust fund can receive 
Social Security benefits.
  Providing seniors with a tax credit to help cover their prescription 
drug expenses not covered by Medicare and repealing Federal barriers 
that prohibit seniors from obtaining quality prescription drugs from 
overseas. Even though Congress added a prescription drug benefit to 
Medicare, many seniors still have difficulty affording their 
prescription drugs. One reason is because the new program creates a 
``doughnut hole,'' where seniors must pay for their prescriptions above 
a certain amount out of their own pockets until their expenses reach a 
level where Medicare coverage resumes. H.R. 5211 helps seniors cope 
with these costs by providing them with a tax credit equal to 80 
percent of their out-of-pocket pharmaceutical costs.
  H.R. 5211 also lowers the price of pharmaceuticals by making two 
changes in the law to create a free market in pharmaceuticals. First, 
H.R. 5211 allows anyone wishing to import a drug to submit an 
application to the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, which then must 
approve the drug unless the FDA finds the drug is either not approved 
for use in the U.S. or is adulterated or misbranded. Second, H.R. 5211 
ensures that lawful internet pharmacies can continue to offer 
affordable prescription drugs free of Federal harassment.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I reiterate my support for H. Res. 874 
and my hope that Congress will continue to show its appreciation for 
America's seniors by voting on my Senior Citizens' Improved Quality of 
Life Act before adjourning for the year.
  Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Kuhl) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 874, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  The title of the resolution was amended so as to read: ``A Resolution 
recognizing and honoring older Americans.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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