[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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