[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10771-S10778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 OLDER AMERICANS ACT AMENDMENTS OF 2006

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I commend Chairman Enzi, Senator DeWine, 
Senator Mikulski, Chairman McKeon, Representative Tiberi, 
Representative Miller, and Representative Hinojosa for their bipartisan 
leadership in reauthorization the Older Americans Act. It's been a 
lifeline for senior citizens across the country for 40 years, and all 
of us want it to continue to fullfill its important mission in the 
years ahead.
  Like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the Older Americans Act 
is part of our commitment to care for the Nation's seniors in their 
golden years.
  Last year, 1,200 bi-partisan delegates were chosen by the Governors 
of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Territories to 
attend the first White House Conference on Aging since 1985. Over the 
years these conferences have served as catalysts for change, and this 
conference was no different. The delegates called for reauthorization 
of the Older Americans Act as their No. 1 priority and I'm pleased that 
Congress has answered their call.
  As we all know, the baby boomer generation is retiring. One in nine 
Americans are over age 65 today, but by the year 2030, the number will 
be one in five.
  Our authorization bill is designed to take some of the necessary 
steps to put the infrastructure in place to provide

[[Page S10772]]

services that will be needed by those retirees. It requires State and 
local agencies to acknowledge the dramatically changing demographics 
and to plan ahead. I hope Congress will continue to build on these 
efforts in coming years and provide increased funds for the important 
programs in this Act.
  The Conference on Aging also focused on another important theme--the 
importance of civic engagement and community service by senior 
citizens.
  Members of the new generation of older Americans obviously want to 
continue to be engaged in their communities after they retire, and it 
would make no sense for our society not to draw on their experience and 
knowledge in constructive ways.
  The Older Americans Act already provides opportunities for employment 
of older Americans through the Senior Community Service Employment 
Program. According to a study by the Center for Labor Market Studies at 
Northeastern University, the number of older persons aged 55 to 74 with 
income below 125 percent of poverty will increase from 6 million in 
2005 to over 8 million in 2015. Our bill strengthens job training for 
seniors to involve them in the communities they love, and which also 
love them. Last year, the program supported 61,000 jobs and served 
92,000 people.
  Older Americans today provide 45 million hours of valuable service to 
their communities, particularly in senior centers, public libraries, 
and nutrition programs.
  The bill is also intended to encourage good nutrition, healthy 
living, and disease prevention among seniors. The Meals on Wheels 
program, enacted in the 1970's, is one of its greatest successes, and 
Massachusetts has been in the forefront of efforts to provide 
community-based nutrition services to the elderly. The Massachusetts 
program coordinates twenty-eight nutrition projects throughout the 
State to deal with poor nutrition and social isolation of seniors. Our 
bill will expand the ability of programs such as Meals on Wheels to 
reach all older individuals who need better nutrition.
  Today it's estimated that 47 percent of the elderly eligible for 
Supplemental Security Income, 70 percent of seniors eligible for food 
stamps, 67 percent of people eligible for Qualified Medicare 
Beneficiary protections, and 87 percent of those eligible for Specified 
Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary protections are not participating in 
these programs. Surely, we can do a better job of outreach to bring 
these programs to the attention of those who need them. Our bill 
addresses the need for better outreach to seniors about the healthcare, 
mental health services, and long-term care benefits available to them.
  I also commend all of the staff members who have worked so hard to 
bring this bill to final passage today, especially Ellen-Marie Whelan 
and Keysha Brooks-Coley in Senator Mikulski's office, Lauren Fuller and 
Kori Forster in Senator Enzi's office, and Lindsay Morris and Karla 
Carpenter in Senator DeWine's office.
  This bill will mean better health and more fulfilling lives for both 
seniors and their communities in the years ahead, and I strongly 
support its passage.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise in support of legislation to 
reauthorize the Older Americans Act.
  I strongly support this bill and want to acknowledge the hard work of 
the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension, HELP, 
Committee, Senator Mike Enzi, and the committee's ranking minority 
member, Senator Ted Kennedy.
  In addition, I want to thank Senator Mike DeWine, the chairman of the 
Retirement Security and Aging Subcommittee and its ranking minority 
member, Senator Barbara Mikulski. All four of my colleagues and their 
wonderful staffs, Lauren Fuller, Kori Forster, Lindsay Morris, Kara 
Marchione, Ellen-Marie Whelan, and Keysha Brooks-Coley did a tremendous 
job in producing a good bill that will make a difference in the lives 
of older Americans across the nation.
  Yesterday, this legislation passed the House of Representatives 
unanimously and it is my hope that the Senate will follow suit.
  This legislation improves the functions of the Administration on 
Aging, provides grants for State and community programs on aging, and 
creates training and research programs to assist seniors in maintaining 
their independence. In addition, the conference report includes job 
training for seniors through the community service employment program 
and grants for supportive and nutrition programs for older Native 
Americans.
  There are two provisions of this measure that I would like to 
highlight.
  First, the conference report includes provisions from legislation 
that I introduced earlier this Congress with my colleague, Senator 
Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, S. 2010, the Elder Justice Act.
  More specifically, this legislation includes a provision which 
authorizes the Assistant Secretary on Aging to designate an individual 
to be responsible for elder abuse and prevention services, and to 
coordinate Federal elder justice activities. This includes developing a 
long-term plan for the creation and implementation of a coordinated, 
multidisciplinary elder justice system.
  I am so proud to have provisions from the Elder Justice Act included 
in this legislation. With over 77 million baby boomers retiring in the 
next three decades, we have no choice but to acknowledge something must 
be done to combat elder abuse. Passage of this bill is an important 
step in the right direction.
  I also am pleased that this legislation includes a sense of the 
Congress recognizing the contribution of nutrition to the health of 
older Americans. This sense of the Congress states that while diet is 
the preferred source of nutrition, evidence suggests that the use of a 
single daily multivitamin-mineral supplement may be an effective way to 
address nutritional gaps that exist among the elderly population, 
especially the poor. I strongly believe that by encouraging seniors to 
take daily multivitamin-mineral supplements, we are only helping them 
to live longer, healthier lives and I am hopeful that senior meals 
programs will decide to provide supplements to those who participate.
  There is a long history of evidence indicating that multivitamins and 
minerals can maintain and improve health and are safe. While I wish 
this provision had been more than a sense of the Congress, I appreciate 
the work of the conferees to highlight the necessity of good nutrition 
and supplementation.
  Once again, I want to congratulate my colleagues on a job well done. 
Older Americans across the country appreciate your efforts.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of the 
reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. I commend Chairman Enzi and 
Ranking Member Kennedy of the Committee on Health, Labor, and Pensions 
for their hard work in putting this bill together and working through 
the differences with the House prior to today's floor action so that 
this important legislation can go straight to the President's desk and 
be signed into law.
  There are many important provisions aimed at improving the lives of 
our senior citizens contained in the Older Americans Act. Today, 
however, there is one part of the bill to which I want to draw 
particular attention: Section 203 of the act establishes an Interagency 
Coordinating Committee that will help the Federal Government work with 
its partners to meet the growing housing, health care, transportation, 
and related needs of senior citizens around the country. The 
Interagency Coordinating Committee will work to better coordinate 
Federal agencies so that seniors and their families can access the 
programs and services necessary to allow them to age in place or find 
suitable housing alternatives. This section draws heavily from S. 705, 
the Meeting the Housing and Service Needs of Seniors Act, which I 
introduced in Apri1 2005. S.705 was passed by the Senate unanimously on 
November 15, 2005.
  As I said when the legislation first passed, the challenges that 
confront us as our population ages are growing more urgent. Data from 
the 2000 census show that the U.S. population over 65 years of age was 
34.7 million. This number is expected to grow to over 50 million by 
2020. It is projected that by 2030 nearly 20 percent of our population 
will be over 65; that is, almost one American in every five will be 
elderly.

[[Page S10773]]

  As our senior population continues to increase, so will the demand 
for affordable housing and service options. This is a matter of concern 
not only for those who will need the services but for families--
children along with spouses. It concerns communities all around the 
country, as productive and responsible citizens grow older and need 
help. It is a matter of deep concern for us all because it will affect 
the well-being of our entire society.
  Many of us know, both from academic studies and our own experience 
with elderly parents or friends, that helping a senior citizen to 
remain in her home or in her community for as long as possible promotes 
a better quality of life. In order to help seniors age in place or find 
suitable alternative housing arrangements, services must be linked with 
that housing. Seniors must be able to access needed health supports, 
transportation, meal and chore services, and assistance with daily 
tasks in or close to their homes. Without needed supports, seniors and 
their families face difficult and even daunting decisions.
  The Commission on Affordable Housing and Health Facility Needs for 
Seniors, known as the Seniors Commission, established by Congress in 
1999, found that too often, seniors face premature institutionalization 
because housing and services are not linked. This results in more 
expensive care for the person, increased social isolation, and a lower 
quality of life. According to the Commission's report, ``the very 
heart'' of its work ``is the recognition that the housing and service 
needs of seniors traditionally have been addressed in different 
`worlds' that often fail to recognize or communicate with each other.'' 
The Commission concluded that: ``the most striking characteristic of 
seniors' housing and health care in this country is the disconnection 
of one field from another.'' The creation of the Interagency 
Coordinating Committee will ensure that this important conversation 
gets started.
  If left unattended, the problem of lack of coordination will 
increasingly undermine all of our efforts to assure that Americans have 
access to the services they need as they age. The Interagency 
Coordinating Committee established by this legislation will increase 
communication and coordination among Federal agencies while reducing 
duplication. The committee will also serve as a permanent national 
platform to address the needs and issues of our aging population.
  The Interagency Coordinating Committee will further help to improve 
collaboration and coordination among the Federal agencies and our State 
and local partners to ensure that seniors are better able to access 
housing and services. This committee will work to find new ways to link 
housing programs and needed supportive services to increase their 
efficiency, to make them more accessible, and to strengthen their 
capacity.
  The decisions that our seniors and their families must make are 
difficult enough. They should not be made more painful and burdensome 
by having to negotiate a confusing maze of programs and services and a 
multiplicity of administrative procedures. I am hopeful that the 
Coordinating Committee will be able to focus attention on this problem 
and cut through the barriers that Americans face to utilizing the 
programs we have provided for them.
  The two members of the Interagency Coordinating Committee 
specifically named in the legislation are the Secretaries of Health and 
Human Services, HHS, and Housing and Urban Development, HUD. These two 
Cabinet members are crucial to achieving the ultimate goal of the 
committee--to make affordable housing and needed supportive services, 
which are often health-related services, easier for seniors to access 
together. The legislation also names many other high-ranking officers 
from agencies that oversee programs of significant importance to the 
lives of older Americans as potential members of Coordinating 
Committee. I urge the President, after signing this legislation, to 
quickly name the rest of the committee so that it can begin to create 
the kind of seamless web of housing, health, transportation, and other 
services for our seniors that this legislation envisions.
  In closing, I want to thank Chairman Enzi and Ranking Member Kennedy 
for their strong support for including the idea of the Interagency 
Coordinating Committee. Katherine McGuire, Greg Dean, and Lauren Fuller 
from the HELP Committee were absolutely vital in working with Jonathan 
Miller of my office and the House committee to make sure this important 
provision was included in the final legislation.
  Likewise, my longtime colleague and friend, Senator Mikulski, who is 
the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Retirement Security and 
Aging, and Keysha Brooks-Coley from her subcommittee staff, have been 
strongly supportive of this provision and have been tireless in their 
advocacy on its behalf. I greatly appreciate their efforts. As I did 
when S. 705 first passed, I want to express my thanks to Chairman 
Shelby for moving S. 705 through the Committee and the Senate floor 
expeditiously and the Banking Committee staff who helped in achieving 
this goal, especially Kathy Casey, the former staff director, Mark 
Calabria, and Tewana Wilkerson.
  Finally, I want to thank two former members of my staff, Jennifer 
Fogel-Bublick and Sarah Garrett, who, at the staff level, were 
principally responsible for crafting the original legislation and who 
helped to guide it through this body last year. This accomplishment is 
very much due to their hard work over the last several years.
  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise today to highlight an agreement 
reached by my colleagues, Senator Mike Enzi and Senator Richard Burr, 
in regard to Federal funding formulas.
  Over the past year and a half the Senate Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions Committee, of which I am a member, has been working on the 
reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. Part of this work included 
changes to the funding formula for the programs contained within the 
act. I was actively involved in this work with Chairman Enzi and 
Senator Burr, as I believe that the formula is unfair and inequitable 
to states with a growing elderly population.
  While we were able to make some changes to the funding formula for 
the Older Americans Act, it is far from adequate. The formula continues 
to provide high-growth states with less than their fair share of 
funding.
  Chairman Enzi has agreed to hold hearings during the 110th Congress 
to review federal funding formulas.
  Senator Burr and I agree that Federal money should follow people. 
Current Federal funding formulas often ignore this and penalize those 
living in fast-growing States.
  According to USA Today, the state of Nevada is projected to see a one 
hundred and fourteen percent increase in our population--the highest 
rate of growth in the country. Nevada welcomes our new-comers with open 
arms, as they have recognized the quality of life the state of Nevada 
has to offer. I am proud that so many Americans have chosen to call 
Nevada home.
  I was sent to Washington, DC, promising that I would do more to bring 
Nevadans hard earned dollars back to the State. Nevadans are happy to 
pay their fair share of taxes to the Federal Government, but also 
expect a fair share to return to the State. Despite my success in 
changing several funding formulas, Nevada continues to rank at the 
bottom of the list in terms of Federal dollars returning to the State.
  Much of this is because current Federal funding formulas contain 
provisions that require outdated population data, and others mandate 
the use of hold harmless provisions. Both of these provisions work 
against those who need the assistance these funds provide. These 
provisions punish those who have chosen to move to a different State 
particularly fast-growing States.
  I have worked to bring some equity and fairness to the title I 
education funding formula, which has brought an additional $43 million 
to the State of Nevada. I have also worked to bring some fairness to 
the Perkins Career and Technical Education program and other important 
programs, but much work remains to be done.
  I am anxious for these hearings to begin so we can truly shed some 
light on these formulas and the unfair provisions used to allocate 
Federal dollars. Federal money ought to follow those individuals it is 
designed to assist. It should not be held hostage to politics.
  It is my hope that these hearings will lay the groundwork for work on 
other

[[Page S10774]]

federal funding formulas, particularly those used to allocate funding 
for education and health care programs. I am looking forward to working 
with my colleagues on this extraordinarily important issue in the very 
near future.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of Senate 
passage of the bipartisan, bicameral Older Americans Act Amendments of 
2006, H.R. 6197. This bill passed the House unanimously yesterday and 
is a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to reauthorize this important act 
until 2011.
  H.R. 6197 retains and strengthens current programs, as well as 
establishes new innovative programs. This bipartisan bill also honors 
the agreement that I made with Senators Enzi, DeWine, and Kennedy to 
members of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to 
address the current funding formula for title III OAA dollars before 
moving the bill to the senate floor. The bill includes a compromise 
that addresses States that have both increasing and decreasing 
populations. Updating the ``hold harmless'' to the fiscal year 2006 
funding level helps States with steady populations, while phasing out 
the guaranteed growth provision over 5 years helps States with 
increasing aging populations.
  This past December, the congressionally mandated White House 
Conference on Aging convened 1,200 bipartisan delegates from all 50 
States to discuss issues that affect the lives of older individuals 
across the country. The No. 1 resolution adopted at the conference was 
reauthorization of the OAA this year. We have heeded their call and are 
pleased that H.R. 6197 has the strong support of the aging community.
  There are three principles that I used to guide this reauthorization 
process. First, to continue to improve the core services of this act to 
meet the vital needs of America's seniors. We need a national program 
with national standards that ensure consistency but allow for 
sufficient flexibility and creativity. Second, to modernize the act, to 
meet the changing needs of America's senior population, including the 
growing number of seniors over 85. We must be ready for the impending 
senior boom and look for ways to help seniors live more independent and 
active lives. And finally, to ensure these critical national, State, 
and local programs have the resources they need to get the job done.
  This bill keeps our promise to older Americans to retain and 
strengthen current OAA programs, as well as provide new innovative 
programs to further improve the act. It will ensure that the OAA 
continues to meet the day-to-day needs of our country's older Americans 
and the long-range needs of our aging population.
  The reauthorization bill maintains tried and true programs, including 
information and referral services that are the backbone of OAA 
programs, providing seniors and their family members information about 
supportive services, nutrition programs like Meals on Wheels that 
provide meals to 2.75 million people every year, and transportation 
services which are critically important to seniors in our rural areas. 
At the same time, we recognize the need to strengthen certain programs 
in the act and establish new innovative initiatives that are fiscally 
responsible.
  The bill strengthens the National Family Caregiver Support Program by 
providing respite services to older adults who care for their children 
who are disabled and lowering the age eligibility of grandparents 
caring for a child from 60 to 55. The bill also extends caregiver 
services to individuals with Alzheimer's disease of any age to address 
the increasing number of people who are being diagnosed with 
Alzheimer's at an earlier age and increases the authorization for the 
program to meet the growing needs of family caregivers.
  The bill strengthens aging and disability resource centers, expanding 
the important role resource centers across the country provide. These 
centers are visible, trusted sources of information on long-term care 
options and health insurance and provide seniors and their family 
members with important information on benefits including the Medicare 
prescription drug program.
  The bill strengthens the title V Senior Community Service Employment 
Program by maintaining the strong community service aspect of the 
program, an integral component since the beginning. This program helps 
seniors find jobs at Meals on Wheels programs, senior centers, and 
public libraries.
  H.R. 6197 authorizes new innovative programs including a Naturally 
Occurring Retirement Community--NORC--Aging in Place Program that will 
support and enhance the ability of seniors to remain in their homes and 
communities by providing seniors necessary supporting services 
including transportation, social work services, and health programs. 
The new grant program builds on the success of Naturally Occurring 
Retirement Communities Programs that have developed at the local level 
and have a proven record of success.
  A Civic Engagement Demonstration Program is authorized that 
encourages older adults to become actively involved in their 
communities. The program will capitalize on the talent and experience 
of older adults to meet critical needs in our communities. The bill 
also creates an elder abuse program that will support State and a 
community effort against elder abuse by conducting research related to 
elder abuse and neglect and creates a nationally coordinated system to 
collect data about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
  The bill also establishes an Interagency Coordination Committee based 
on S. 705, Meeting the Housing and Service Needs of Seniors Act of 
2005, introduced by the senior Senator from Maryland, Mr. Sarbanes. The 
interagency committee will address the housing and social service needs 
of seniors and enhance working relationships and coordination among 
Federal entities including the Departments of Health and Human 
Services, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation.
  This bill addresses the issue of emergency preparedness for seniors 
by requiring States and Area Agencies on Aging to coordinate, develop 
plans, and establish guidelines for addressing the senior population 
during disasters/emergencies. During Hurricane Katrina and Rita, we all 
saw that many times the people who were left behind were the elderly. 
We must plan accordingly for seniors and use the successful senior 
network that exists in our country to make sure that they are not 
forgotten.
  I thank Senator DeWine, chairman of the Retirement Security and Aging 
Subcommittee, for his sincere dedication to reauthorizing the OAA this 
year and his willingness to work in a bipartisan manner to accomplish 
this. This is our second time reauthorizing this act together, and we 
produced a bipartisan bill once again. I also thank Senator Enzi for 
his strong leadership in moving this bill through the Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and all the way up to this 
point. Thank you also to Senator Kennedy for his leadership and his 
tireless advocacy for OAA programs and the people it serves.
  Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on the Older Americans 
Act amendments of 2006. As the Federal Government's chief program for 
the provision of a variety of social services for America's older 
citizens, the Older Americans Act, OAA, has and will continue to be a 
program of critical importance, especially for the aging baby boomer 
population.
  The bill before us includes a number of important provisions that 
seek to strengthen and improve health and nutrition programs, 
educational and volunteer services, and home and community support 
systems for our Nation's older citizens. I commend my colleagues in 
Congress for these needed improvements and enhancements to the OAA, and 
I support final passage of this bill.
  While I am also pleased by the modifications made to the funding 
formula included in title III of the act that will result in increased 
funding for North Carolina and other high-growth States, I am 
disappointed that the final funding formula included in the act does 
not completely eradicate funding inequities. For far too long, my home 
State of North Carolina and a number of other high-growth States have 
consistently been underfunded under the OAA. Prior to the 2000 
reauthorization of the OAA, the General Accountability Office, GAO, 
both in 1994 and 2000, documented that the allocation

[[Page S10775]]

method used by the Administration on Aging, AOA, to distribute title 
III funding resulted in inequitable funding across States and adversely 
affected States with rapidly growing older populations such as North 
Carolina. Under AOA's allocation procedures, States with above-average 
growth were consistently underfunded, while States with below-average 
growth were consistently overfunded. In fiscal year 2000 alone, GAO 
found that AOA's allotment method resulted in North Carolina being 
underfunded by $2.1 million.
  Although Congress attempted during the 2000 reauthorization of the 
OAA to ensure that the allocation methods used to distribute funds were 
consistent with statute, a provision was added to the formula, referred 
to as a guaranteed growth factor, which had the unfortunate effect of 
compounding the disparities between high- and low-growth States. Under 
the formula included in the Act before us, this guaranteed growth 
factor is to be phased out in 5 years. I appreciate the inclusion of 
this phase out. However, I strongly believe that 5 years is too long a 
time to eliminate a funding provision that serves only to underfund 
high-growth States and over-fund low-growth States.
  As we all know, older Americans are a rapidly growing and ever 
important group of our population. My home State of North Carolina has 
and will continue to experience unprecedented growth in all segments of 
our populations in the coming years. While the Nation's total 
population is expected to grow 29 percent by 2030, North Carolina's 
total population is expected to increase 51.9 percent by 2030, making 
North Carolina the seventh most populous by 2030 and the seventh 
fastest growing state.
  The State of North Carolina welcomes this growth, which we are 
experiencing among all age segments of our population, and we are 
pleased that so many are choosing to make North Carolina their home. 
Nevertheless, to best meet the needs of our residents, it is imperative 
that funds provided by Federal programs such as the OAA reach the 
individuals they are intended to serve. As we all know, funding 
formulas are complicated. Nevertheless, it is critical that this and 
other formula issues be resolved once and for all and not once again 
put off for another day or other reauthorizations years down the road. 
If the goal of the OAA is to provide essential Federal programs and 
services for older Americans, then such Federal funds must be directed 
to States in which older Americans are living.
  For this reason, I am pleased that Chairman Enzi has committed to me 
to hold hearings during the coming Congress to review all formulas for 
Federal programs under the jurisdiction of the Health, Education, Labor 
and Pensions Committee and to examine how those formulas are developed 
to determine the fair and equitable distribution of funds. I also 
appreciate Chairman Enzi's commitment to address the next 
reauthorization of the OAA within 3 years after we pass this bill 
before us so that we can more quickly examine and remediate the current 
funding inequities. I look forward to working with Chairman Enzi and my 
other colleagues to ensure that Federal funds follow the people and 
their needs.
  Ms. STABENOW. I have heard from many seniors, the Center for Social 
Gerontology in Ann Arbor, and Michigan's Area Agencies on Aging and 
senior centers about the need for reauthorizing the Older Americans 
Act, which was last reauthorized in 2000. While the reauthorization of 
the OAA is a positive step for America's seniors, funding for Federal 
seniors services has failed to keep place with inflation and an aging 
population.
  I am also pleased that the OAA reauthorization will contain the core 
elements of S. 409, the Federal Youth Coordination Act, which I 
cosponsored with Senator Norm Coleman. I was also pleased to work with 
Congressman Tom Osbourne on pushing this legislation forward. I thank 
Chairman Enzi and Senators Kennedy and Mikulski and their staff for 
including this important piece of legislation in the OAA 
reauthorization.
  In 2003, the White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth report 
identified numerous programs in 12 different Federal agencies that 
serve or relate to disadvantaged youth. But the task force could not 
determine precisely how much funding directly impact our young people 
because there is no uniform, focused Federal youth policy. The task 
force recommended the establishment of a coordinating body to 
facilitate the evaluation, coordination, and improvement of Federal 
programs serving youth.
  In response, our legislation creates a 2-year coordinated council to 
evaluate, coordinate, and improve Federal youth programs. Membership on 
the council includes 12 Federal agency officials, representatives of 
youth-serving nonprofits and faith-based organizations, and the youth 
who actually participate in these important programs.
  The purpose of our bill is not to cut programs but to look at ways we 
can better serve our young people. Our children, especially those most 
at risk, should not be lost in a Federal bureaucracy. We must ensure 
that our taxpayers' investment produces a strong return on our Nation's 
investment in our children. America's youth deserve high-quality, 
effective and meaningful youth development programs that achieve the 
greatest possible impact.
  I urge the President to convene a council that will take its mission 
seriously and includes members with strong backgrounds in children's 
services. Most importantly, the council ought to include young people, 
especially those positively impacted by federally funded programs. At a 
January briefing I sponsored with Senators Coleman and DeWine, one of 
the most powerful stories we heard from Terry Harrak, a former foster 
youth once caught in the middle of the maze of services. She called on 
the Senate to pass the Coleman-Stabenow bill and for Congress to not 
cut the number of programs but to improve how they work together.
  Again, I thank my colleagues for their support for serving two of our 
most vulnerable populations, our seniors and our children. 
Additionally, I thank the many Michigan organizations who supported the 
Federal Youth Coordination Act, and I ask unanimous consent that a copy 
of the letters in support of S. 409 be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                             National Collaboration for Youth,

                                 Washington, DC, January 13, 2006.
     Hon. Debbie Stabenow,
     133 Hart Senate Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Stabenow: On behalf of the National 
     Collaboration for Youth and its member organizations, we 
     thank you for your support of the Federal Youth Coordination 
     Act (S. 409) and co-sponsoring the briefing on the 
     legislation held earlier this week.
       More than 20 Senate staff members attended the briefing to 
     hear our distinguished panelists discuss the maze of services 
     facing disadvantaged youth and their families. The federal 
     government currently lacks a coordinating body with the 
     mandate to weave the existing tangle of services into a 
     seamless web of supports. We appreciate your leadership on 
     The Federal Youth Coordination Act (FYCA), which fills this 
     need and provides valuable leadership, support and efficiency 
     to state and local efforts across the country.
       We look forward to continuing to work with your office on 
     FYCA. Children are simply too important, and resources are 
     too scarce, to not pass this legislation.
           Sincerely,
                                                         Irv Katz,
     President and CEO.
                                  ____



                                Voices for Michigan's Children

                                      Lansing, MI, April 18, 2005.
     Senator Debbie Stabenow,
     U.S. Senate, 702 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Hon. Senator Stabenow: On behalf of our Board of Directors 
     of Michigan's Children, I would like to thank you for your 
     sponsorship of the Federal Youth Coordination Act of 2005.
       Transitioning to adulthood can be a complicated process for 
     young people, navigating through the supports and services 
     available should not be so complicated. For this reason, 
     Michigan's Children has as one of its legislative and 
     administrative priorities for 2005 advocacy related to at-
     risk youth transitioning to adulthood. This priority includes 
     supporting state and federal steps to provide more 
     coordinated services to this population. As you are aware, 
     the Federal Youth Coordination Act represents a positive step 
     in this direction.
       We are pleased that you have signed on as a Senate co-
     sponsor to this important piece of legislation. It may 
     interest you to know that the theme of the 2005 Michigan Kids 
     Count Databook will be issues faced by at-risk youth in 
     transition. This should provide a unique opportunity this 
     fall (the databook is scheduled for release in October 2005) 
     to

[[Page S10776]]

     draw some attention to this critical issue. If there is 
     anything that we can provide to you about the Act itself, or 
     the status of young people in Michigan, please don't hesitate 
     to contact our office,
           Sincerely,
                                                    Sharon Peters,
                                                    President/CEO.

  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I understand that tonight the Senate will 
move to passage of the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. I 
support passage of this legislation, which funds nutrition, health, 
elder abuse prevention, caregiver support, and employment programs that 
are critical to our Nation's seniors--so critical, in fact, that 
delegates to the White House Conference on Aging ranked reauthorization 
as their No. 1 priority.
  Today, people over the age of 65 make up over 12 percent of the 
population, but they will make up 20 percent in the next 45 years. That 
means one out of every five Americans will be a senior by the year 
2050. Just in the past 5 years, Wisconsin has experienced a 6 percent 
increase in people over the age of 65. It is clear we need a strong 
Older Americans Act that provides real help if we are to serve the 
seniors of today and tomorrow.
  As ranking member of the Special Committee on Aging, I applaud the 
bipartisan efforts of Senator Enzi and Senator Kennedy in producing a 
bill that preserves the programs in the Older Americans Act. This is 
not a perfect bill, and in future reauthorizations we must continue to 
strengthen OAA for both today's seniors and the coming tidal wave of 
baby boomer retirees. But I am pleased that this reauthorization 
rejects attempts to dismantle the OAA programs and instead preserves 
them.
  This OAA reauthorization bill includes several pieces I strongly 
support. First, it strengthens the Senior Community Service Employment 
Program--now renamed the Older American Community Service Employment 
Program. Many seniors expect to work past traditional retirement age. 
Some will do so because they enjoy the physical and mental benefits of 
work, but others need additional income to be financially secure.
  That is why the OACSEP program is so important. It is the only 
Federal workforce program specifically targeted to older people, 
providing community service and job training to low-income adults age 
55 and over. Many of us were concerned that the administration proposed 
a major overhaul of this program that would have disrupted both 
grantees and participants. Instead, this bill wisely preserves OACSEP 
and builds on its success.
  In particular, the bill maintains OACSEP's role in allowing seniors 
who have a disability or poor employment prospects to do community 
service jobs. Instead of turning seniors away, this bill recognizes 
that seniors who give back to their communities help not only the 
organizations and families they serve but also help themselves become 
more self-sufficient.
  I thank the HELP Committee for working with me to improve OACSEP. 
Specifically, the bill expands eligibility to ensure that people who 
have some income but are still very poor can get OACSEP services. It 
also requires the Department of Labor to evaluate the performance of 
OACSEP grantees by hours of community service employment, placement 
into and retention in paid jobs, earnings, and the number of people 
served--including the number of people from hard-to-serve populations. 
And it requires Labor to use performance on these measures as one of 
its criteria in awarding future grants.
  At an Aging Committee hearing in April, the GAO testified that even 
though thousands of seniors need training and jobs, Labor has 
restricted OACSEP eligibility so much that grantees can't find enough 
people to enroll. The bill returns to more realistic eligibility 
criteria, such as ensuring that SSI benefits no longer count as income 
in determining whether you are poor enough to qualify for the program.
  This reauthorization also recognizes the importance of engaging our 
next generation of seniors in community service. While many boomers 
would like to continue working, others will look to mix work and 
leisure with volunteerism. Older Americans bring a wealth of talent and 
experience to their communities, and many are eager to make a 
meaningful contribution. This reauthorization directs the 
administration on Aging to develop a blueprint for engaging boomers and 
authorizes a fund for innovation for community stakeholders to engage 
boomers. These are two important steps in giving the government and 
communities the tools needed to harness boomers' leadership skills and 
abilities.
  I am also pleased to see several provisions of the Elder Justice Act 
included in the Older Americans Act reauthorization. I am an original 
cosponsor of Elder Justice and strongly support its goals. For far too 
long, our Nation has turned its back on the shame of elder abuse. With 
these provisions, we are finally saying enough is enough--elder abuse 
is unacceptable and we are going to put an end to it.
  For the first time, the bill provides real Federal leadership in the 
fight to end elder abuse by creating an Office of Elder Abuse 
Prevention. It also includes programs to assist States and Indian 
tribes with their efforts to protect seniors. Important research and 
data collection can now begin so we will know the scope of the problem 
and the best solutions to prevent, detect, and treat elder abuse, 
neglect and exploitation.
  In addition, I am pleased this bill preserves the Long Term Care 
Ombudsman Program. Although it is a small program, the ombudsman plays 
a key role in protecting the elderly and disabled in long-term care by 
serving as an advocate for patients and helping them resolve complaints 
of abuse, neglect, and mistreatment. A recent report by the Institute 
of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences noted the importance of 
routine onsite presence of ombudsman in detecting problems before they 
become serious.
  My home State of Wisconsin has one of the most successful ombudsman 
programs in the county, and we are proud to have one of the very best 
ombudsmen, George Potaracke, leading that program. I have worked for 
many years to ensure that this woefully underfunded program receives 
increases. These increases are often small, but they improve the lives 
of people living in long-term care facilities. I hope that future OAA 
reauthorizations will take the ombudsman's growing caseload into 
account and increase its funding authorization to match the need.
  This legislation also maintains strong support for state and 
community programs authorized under title III. These programs serve 
over 8.2 million older persons, providing transportation, access to 
senior centers, home care, adult daycare, and congregate and home-
delivered meals like the Meals on Wheels program. These valuable 
services allow older persons to live in their communities and remain 
independent.
  Each year, title III gives seniors almost 36 million rides to places 
like doctors' offices, grocery stores, and senior centers. It ensures 
that 6,000 senior centers continue to flourish in our communities. It 
provides 20 million hours of personal care, homemaker, and chore 
services, and almost 10 million hours of services in adult daycare. And 
it serves 248 million meals to our seniors. I am pleased that the Older 
Americans Act reauthorization preserves these important services.
  In addition, the Family Caregiver Support program is reauthorized and 
improved. I was an original cosponsor of this program, which ensures 
that family members who care for an elderly or disabled relative 
receive the support and respite services they need. The Family 
Caregiver Support Program provides access assistance to 585,000 
caregivers, conducts counseling and training services for about 300,000 
caregivers, and supports respite care services for over 200,000 
caregivers.
  Now that we are poised to pass the Older Americans Act 
reauthorization, we must make sure we fund it. All of our good 
intentions will be empty promises if we don't also provide the 
resources seniors need. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I 
have consistently supported increased funding for OAA and will continue 
to fight for these programs.
  Again, I applaud the HELP Committee for this sensible and much needed 
bill.
  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President. I am extremely proud to come to the Senate 
today to recognize the passage of a very important piece of legislation 
for our Nation's seniors. Democrats and

[[Page S10777]]

Republicans came together over the past 2 years to reauthorize the 
Older Americans Act and that's simply good news for seniors across the 
country.
  I thank Chairman Enzi and our Democrat colleagues Senators Mikulski 
and Kennedy for joining me in this effort. This bill is an excellent 
example of the positive things we can accomplish when members of both 
parties work side by side towards a common goal. Over the past 2 years, 
as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Retirement Security and Aging, I 
have worked with my colleagues--particularly Senator Mikulski--to bring 
together experts in the aging community at hearings, roundtables, and 
listening sessions. We have listened to the problems facing our seniors 
and to ideas about what we can do to make their lives better. I rise 
today with my colleagues on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
Committee as we join in passage of the Older Americans Act Amendments 
of 2006, a bill which we all believe will make the lives of seniors 
better.
  Senator Mikulski and I worked together to draft and pass the Older 
Americans Act Amendments of 2000. I am proud to have worked with her 
again to improve and update these vital programs for seniors. Her hard 
work and experience has been invaluable.
  This bill comes about through the dedication and compromise of 
members in both the Senate and the House. I would like to take this 
moment to thank everyone on both sides of the aisle who worked on this 
bill--particularly my colleague from Ohio, Representative Tiberi. They 
have been dedicated to the passage of this important legislation, and I 
thank them for their hard work.
  The Older Americans Act is so important for my home state of Ohio. 
More than 2 million persons over the age of 60 in Ohio are eligible for 
services under the Older Americans Act. Let me say that again, there 
are over 2 million Ohio seniors who will have the opportunity to take 
advantage of the programs in this bill. The bill will bring more than 
$44 million to programs in Ohio. This vital funding will go to 
wonderful organizations such as Meals on Wheels, which provides 
important nutrition programs at senior centers and in senior's homes.

  This funding will also help programs preventing injury and illness to 
seniors, as well as programs supporting families who are caring for 
disabled loved ones, including the elderly and adult children with 
disabilities, and grandparents who are caring for their grandchildren. 
So many Ohioans need these services. In my state 87 percent of those in 
need of care by a family member are at age 50 or older. Seventy percent 
of those persons are women. Ohioans caring for a disabled family member 
spend an average of 4.2 years in this role--time impacting their job, 
their emotions, and their health.
  The Older Americans Act also provides funding and support for the 12 
Area Agencies on Aging that serve older Americans living in Ohio. These 
12 agencies do a wonderful job of organizing the services I just 
described, as well as many more. They serve all 88 counties in Ohio and 
work with State and local providers of services to ensure that all 
seniors in their areas maintain proper health and nutrition and are 
aware of the services available to them.
  Nationwide, older Americans are a vital and rapidly growing segment 
of our population. Over 36 million people living in the United States--
about 12 percent of the population--are over the age of 65. The Census 
Bureau projects that 45 years from now, people 65 and older will number 
nearly 90 million in the United States and will comprise 21 percent of 
the population.
  The Older Americans Act is an important service provider for these 
Americans, and I strongly believe that the reauthorization bill we just 
passed updates and strengthens the Act in so many ways. Plans to 
prepare for changes to the aging demographics will be incorporated into 
the Act. A Federal interagency council responsible for ensuring 
appropriate planning for baby boomer-related needs and population 
shifts across agencies will be created. And grants and technical 
assistance will be provided to local aging service providers to plan 
for the baby boomer population.
  Our bill will also increase the Federal funding levels for the 
National Family Caregiver Support Program over the next 5 years. This 
important program helps families care for loved ones who are severely 
ill or disabled, yet want to remain in their homes and community. Our 
bill expands this program so that all of those caring for loved ones 
with Alzheimer's become eligible for support services. Our bill also 
clarifies that this program will serve elderly caregivers who are 
caring for their adult children with developmental disabilities and 
expands that provision to include all adult children with disabilities 
who are being cared for by an elderly parent. Lastly, it clarifies that 
grandparents caring for adopted grandchildren are covered under the 
National Family Caregiver Support Program and lowers the age threshold 
for grandparents to 55 years old. These important changes will improve 
the quality of life for so many who are struggling under the pressures 
of caring for loved ones--including more than 1,700 Ohioans annually.

  Other provisions of the bill encourage seniors to make voluntary 
contributions to help defray the costs of these programs if they want 
to which will allow the program to reach out to even more seniors. This 
will help programs such as Meals-on-Wheels to expand their activities 
and will enable them to more effectively take contributions from those 
older Americans willing and able to pay for services. Annually, more 
than 125,000 Ohioans are served nearly 10 million meals by these 
important programs. The number of seniors in our population is 
increasing--and as it does, we need to modify our programs to ensure 
that they are economically sustainable and equipped to grow.
  We know that most Americans wish to live independently in their own 
homes as they age. Our amendments will help them do so by providing 
funding so that the Department of Health and Human Services can award 
grants for the improvement of assistive technology that will allow 
older Americans to monitor their health while they remain in their 
homes. This bill also creates a new program awarding grants for the 
creation of innovative models for the delivery of services to those who 
remain in their homes. The need for this grant program was discussed at 
length in a hearing I held on models for aging in place--specifically, 
Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities or NORCs. NORCs are areas in 
which large concentrations of people live and stay as they age. 
Essentially, NORCs allow individuals to grow old while living in the 
communities they love. Programs like NORCs will allow Americans to 
remain in their homes and communities, the places where they believe 
they will stay happier and healthier. As I stated before, Americans 
want to stay in the places they love as they age. This bill will help 
them do just that.
  Further, this bill creates a new momentum towards the provision of 
consumer-driven choices with respect to long-term care. As we all know, 
too many older Americans become disabled without the ability or the 
insurance to pay for their care. Too often, their only choice is to 
live in a nursing facility away from home. This ends up being more 
costly and ultimately not what the person would prefer--which is to 
remain in their home and their community. This bill will facilitate 
access to long-term care choices and opportunities. It will also 
enhance the ability of local providers and area agencies on aging to 
provide advice on the range of options they have available. Older 
Americans will then have the flexibility to decide for themselves which 
is the best place for them to age.

  The Senior Community Service Employment Program is a federally funded 
jobs program geared specifically for older Americans. In Ohio alone, it 
provides more than 2,000 jobs for low-income Americans age 55 and 
older. Our bill updates this program to ensure additional stability in 
those who provide these services for older low-income Americans. This 
stability will limit the disruption for seniors employed in the program 
and will also help low-income older Americans get the training they 
need to move on to better paying jobs.
  The Senior Community Service Employment Program has a dual nature, 
containing provisions that address both community service and job 
training for low income individuals. Our bill

[[Page S10778]]

provides a Sense of the Senate supporting this dual approach. 
Furthermore, our bill limits the time period of participation in the 
program to 4 years, with an exemption for certain hard to serve 
individuals. This provision balances the need for a limit to the time a 
person spends in this employment program with the recognition that 
certain populations have special needs.
  Of great importance to me, this bill also amends the Older Americans 
Act to focus attention on the mental health needs of older Americans. 
The amendments establish grants for the mental health screening of 
older Americans and for increased awareness of the effects of mental 
health needs on the elderly population. Too often the mental health 
needs of older Americans are overlooked--but they can be as serious and 
life-threatening as any other illness. The mental health needs of our 
seniors must be taken more seriously. We must deal with them more 
aggressively. I believe that these provisions move us significantly 
forward in this struggle.
  Finally, this bill will help address the terrible problem of seniors 
who suffer abuse in their homes or while in nursing homes. Elder abuse 
is a serious problem that we know exists but is not well documented. 
This bill increases the profile of these issues while providing 
important resources for improving the data collection of incidents and 
outreach to those who may be suffering abuse. I believe that these new 
grants will move us forward tremendously in our fight against elder 
abuse. I know that this was an important provision for Chairman Enzi, 
and I am glad that we were able to include this important program for 
at-risk seniors.
  Once again, I want to thank Senator Enzi and Senator Kennedy for 
making this reauthorization a priority for the HELP Committee. Over the 
months we have negotiated this bipartisan bill, I have greatly 
appreciated their thoughtful and steady work to get the Older Americans 
Act to this point. Together, we have worked to get it done.
  Today's passage of the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006 is 
incredibly important to older Americans, both in Ohio and across the 
Nation. I would like to commend everyone involved.
  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read the third 
time and passed, a motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any 
statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 6197) was ordered to a third reading, was read the 
third time, and passed.

                          ____________________