[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 22 (Thursday, February 2, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6598-6600]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-2431]




[[Page 6597]]

_______________________________________________________________________

Part II





Department of Health and Human Services





_______________________________________________________________________



Administration on Aging



_______________________________________________________________________



Final Agenda for the 1995 White House Conference on Aging; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 22 / Thursday, February 2, 1995 / 
Notices  

[[Page 6598]]


DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration on Aging


Final Agenda for the 1995 White House Conference on Aging

AGENCY: White House Conference on Aging, AoA, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of final agenda.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Policy Committee on the White House Conference on Aging is 
publishing the final agenda for the May 1995 Conference. To formulate 
this final agenda, the Policy Committee used public comments received 
on the proposed agenda published October 12, 1994, in the Federal 
Register and recommendations emanating from several hundred pre-
conference events held around the country. Part I of the final agenda 
is an overview of the comments received on the proposed agenda; Part II 
covers the Conference theme, Part III specifies the issues and 
subissues for which resolutions are to be developed and the structure 
of the Conference program; and the final section, Part IV, describes 
the process to be used to develop and pass resolutions at the 
Conference.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
White House Conference on Aging, 501 School Street, SW., 8th Floor, 
Washington, DC 20024-2755. The main telephone number for the Conference 
is (202) 245-7116 and the FAX number is (202) 245-7857. The INTERNET 
address ([email protected]) may also be used.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Immediately after President Clinton formally 
called for the 1995 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) in February 
1994, solicitation from a wide range of sources--especially from the 
grassroots--of suggestions and ideas for the Conference agenda began. A 
main source of this input has been more than 600 recognized activities, 
events and programs that have been held or will be held around the 
country as a prelude to the May Conference in Washington, DC. Other 
major sources have been the public comments on the proposed agenda and 
the letters received from States, individuals, and public and private 
organizations.
    From the recognized events that have been held, over 300 reports 
have been received detailing the policy recommendations generated from 
the events. Input received from this variety of local, state, regional 
and national events conducted on behalf of the WHCoA over the past ten 
months points toward an agenda that goes beyond traditional boundaries 
and paints a broad picture of aging--an agenda that looks at the 
present and the future. This Conference should examine the needs and 
contributions of today's and tomorrow's older citizens. The specific 
issues addressed by the recommendations parallel the public comments 
received on the proposed agenda.
    The Older Americans Act Amendments of 1992, Public Law 102-375, 
required that the Policy Committee (which oversees the 1995 White House 
Conference on Aging) formulate and approve a proposed agenda for the 
Conference and that this proposed agenda be published in the Federal 
Register for public comment. The proposed agenda was published on 
October 12 and the comment period closed approximately seven weeks 
later on December 1. More information on the comments is provided in 
Part I.
    The main goal of the 1995 WHCoA is to provide resolutions to 
influence national aging policy and to develop a blueprint for action 
to have these resolutions implemented. This Conference, the last one of 
this century, will have a major impact on aging concerns into the 21st 
century. To focus the impact of the WHCoA on those issues of 
overwhelming concern, the number of resolutions presented to the 
Conference delegates for passage will be limited. The process for 
development and passage of resolutions is described in Part IV.

Part I. Comments on the Proposed Agenda

    This part of the final agenda provides information on the comments 
received on the proposed agenda published in the Federal Register. The 
proposed agenda included four proposed themes for the Conference from 
which a final theme would emerge based primarily on public comments and 
a listing of major issues and subissues.
    Written comments on the proposed agenda formulated and approved by 
the Policy Committee were received from 915 individuals and 
organizations. Fifty-nine percent of the comments came from 
individuals, many of them older citizens.
    Approximately one-half of the commenters responded to the request 
for comments on a theme for the Conference. They indicated their 
preferences among the four proposed themes, combined elements of the 
four proposed themes or proposed different themes. The responses 
tabulated as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Themes                             Responses
------------------------------------------------------------------------
``Aging into the 21st Century: Generations Working Together             
 for a Better Community''....................................         89
``Investing in an Aging Society into the 21st Century:                  
 Independence, Opportunity and Dignity for All Americans''...         42
``Investing Now in America's Future: A Lifetime of                      
 Productivity and Opportunity''..............................         52
``America Now and into the 21st Century: Growing Older with             
 Independence, Opportunity and Dignity''.....................        163
Other (combined elements or proposed new theme)..............        108
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Comments focused on the need to look ahead to the future, the 
interdependence among generations, the importance of maintaining 
independence and dignity as one ages and the options and opportunities 
that need to be present throughout life.
    In the proposed agenda published in the Federal Register, 
commenters were asked to indicate the relative importance of the issues 
and subissues and to provide on how they might be linked. The comments 
received provided information on the specific issue or issues which 
were of paramount concern to commenters or their organizations. The 
tabulation of responses on the 19 issues listed in the proposed agenda 
for the Conference resulted in the following rank order of the issues:
    1. Health.
    2. Income security and other benefits.
    3. Housing/social and community services.
    4. Crime/personal safety.
    5. Interdependence of generations.
    6. Quality of life/meaning in later years.
    7. Special constituencies.
    8. Productive older people.
    9. Employment.
    10. Older Americans Act and its role.
    11. Transportation.
    12. Rights/responsibility/advocacy Arts and humanities.
    13. Image of older people.
    14. Research and education/training.
    15. Cultural diversity.
    16. Family and family life.
    17. Role of the private sector.
    18. Technology.
    ``Health'' was an overwhelming concern of the commenters. The 
``health'' issue received more than twice as many comments as the 
second ranked issue, ``Income security and other benefits.'' Another 
common concern of the commenters was combining housing and social and 
community services. Many commenters thought housing 

[[Page 6599]]
issues should be considered separately from services.
    Numerous commenters were concerned about the number of issues 
covered in the proposed agenda and the ability of delegates to deal 
with this vast array of issues. These commenters suggested limiting the 
number of issues to be addressed at the Conference to those considered 
most pressing and provided guidance on the issues they thought met this 
criterion. There were a number of very thoughtful letters suggesting 
how the issues and subissues could be linked both for discussion and 
for development of resolutions at the Conference.

Part II. Conference Theme

    The Policy Committee decided on a theme that combined aspects of 
the two top-ranked proposed themes. The theme for the Conference is: 
``America Now and into the 21st Century: Generations Aging Together 
with Independence, Opportunity and Dignity.''

Part III. Issues To Be Addressed at the Conference and the Structure of 
the Conference Program

    This part of the notice addresses both the issues to be covered in 
the final agenda and the structure of the Conference program in which 
the issues are to be discussed and resolutions passed.
    After considerable deliberation, the Policy Committee narrowed the 
focus of the Conference to four issues with several cross-cutting 
concerns which are to permeate both the discussion of the issues and 
the resolutions process. In the view of the members of the Policy 
Committee, these four issues are the ones considered most pressing and 
critical to aging policy based on the comments received on the proposed 
agenda and the recommendations generated by pre-conference events.
    The attention to be focused on these four issues does not deny the 
importance of other issues and subissues included in the proposed 
agenda. However, the Policy Committee agreed with commenters that it 
would not be possible to cover adequately all these issues within the 
context of a three day conference and they made the decision to 
concentrate on core issues.
    The list below specifies the four issues and the subissues to be 
covered under each issue. For each issue, cross-cutting concerns are 
repeated to emphasize their importance to the discussion of each issue. 
In addition, the relevant current Federal programs are named for each 
issue.
    The four major issues and subissues determined by the Policy 
Committee are:

Assuring Comprehensive Health Care Including Long-Term Care

     Promotion and prevention.
     Access to quality care.
     Continuum of care intergrating community and social 
services.
     Medicare/Medicard/Older Americans Act.
     Research and education.

Cross-cutting concerns: Interdependence among generations and among 
members of extended families, and the responsibility of individuals to 
plan for changes that will occur throughout their lifespan; Unique 
contributions and needs of special populations, especially veterans, 
caregivers (including grandparents), rural elderly, women, minorities 
and individuals with disabilities
Current Federal programs: Medicare (Title XVIII of the Social Security 
Act), Medicaid (Title XIX of the Social Security Act), Older Americans 
Act, Veterans Health Benefits (Chapter 17, Title 38), Social Services 
Block Grant, food stamps, NIH programs

Promoting Economic Security

     Employment.
     Social Security.
     Other retirement income and resources, including pension 
reform.
     Poverty and hunger.
     Tax policy.
     Discrimination.

Cross-cutting concerns: Interdependence among generations and among 
members of extended families, and the responsibility of individuals to 
plan for changes that will occur throughout their lifespan; Unique 
contributions and needs of special populations, especially veterans, 
caregivers (including grandparents), rural elderly, women, minorities 
and individuals with disabilities
Current Federal programs: Social Security (Title II of the Social 
Security Act: Old-age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits), 
Supplemental Security Income (Title XVI of the Social Security Act: 
Supplemental Security Income for the Aged, Blind and Disabled), Older 
Americans Act, Veterans Compensation and Pensions (Chapter 11, Title 
38), vocational rehabilitation, adult education, Job Training 
Partnership Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Employment 
Retirement Income Security Act
Maximizing Housing and Support Service Options

     Range of options/availability.
     Affordability/financing/tax policies.
     Linking support services to housing.
     Consumer choice/decision-making/promoting independence.

Cross-cutting concerns: Interdependence among generations and among 
members of extended families, and the responsibility of individuals to 
plan for changes that will occur throughout their lifespan; Unique 
contributions and needs of special populations, especially veterans, 
caregivers (including grandparents), rural elderly, women, minorities 
and individuals with disabilities
Current Federal programs: Public and Indian housing; section 202, 
Capital Advances for Housing the Elderly and section 811, Housing for 
the Disabled; section 231, Mortgage Insurance for Housing the Elderly; 
section 221(d) (3) and (4), Mortgage Insurance for Nursing Homes, 
Intermediate Care Facilities, and Board and Care Homes; section 236, 
Mortgage Interest Reduction Payments; Congregate Housing Services 
Program; Flexible Subsidy and Loan Management Set-aside Funding; 
Manufactured Home Parks; Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Insurance 
Demonstration; section 8, Rental Certificates and Rental Vouchers; Home 
Investment Partnership; Emergency Shelter Grants Program; Supportive 
Housing Demonstration Program; Farmers Home Administration housing; 
low-income home energy assistance; Community Service Block Grant; 
Community Development Block Grant; VA home loan programs (Chapter 37, 
Title 38)

Maximizing Options for a Quality Life

     Resources for elders (community and social services/
activities).
     Crime, personal safety and elder abuse.
     Spiritual well-being, ethics, values and roles.
     Image and roles of older people.
     Elders as resources and opportunities for volunteering.
     Isolation and loneliness.
     Legal issues.

Cross-cutting concerns: Interdependence among generations and among 
members of extended 

[[Page 6600]]
families, and the responsibility of individuals to plan for changes 
that will occur throughout their lifespan; Unique contributions and 
needs of special populations, especially veterans, caregivers 
(including grandparents), rural elderly, women, minorities and 
individuals with disabilities
Current Federal programs: Older Americans Act, Social Services Block 
Grant, National Senior Service Corps, Violent Crime Control and Law 
Enforcement Act of 1994

    Background papers on these issues will be provided to delegates in 
advance of the Conference to allow them to prepare for and actively 
participate in the Conference.
    To develop a structure for the Conference program, the Policy 
Committee was guided by the following principles:
     Each delegate shall have an opportunity to participate in 
discussion/resolution development of several issues so that he/she can 
see the interrelationships among the issues;
     These opportunities shall be provided in smaller group 
settings of delegates;
     At least three hours are needed for substantive discussion 
of an issue; and
     Time and space shall be provided for caucuses by special 
constituencies/populations.
    Based on these principles, the following structure for the 
Conference evolved:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Date and time                           Activity             
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, May 2--7:00 p.m.-?          Brief opening/speak out.           
Wednesday, May 3:                                                       
    9:00 a.m.-11:00a.m.              Formal opening session.            
    11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.             Special constituency caucuses.     
    2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.              First issue resolution development 
                                      session.                          
    Evening........................  Delegates on their own.            
Thursday, May 4:                                                        
    8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.             Second issue resolution development
                                      session.                          
    Noon-1:00 p.m.                   Special constituency caucuses.     
    1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.              Third issue resolution development 
                                      session.                          
    5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.              Special constituency caucuses.     
    Evening........................  Plenary session (tentative).       
Friday, May 5:                                                          
    7:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m.              Initial voting to determine the 40 
                                      priority resolutions.             
    10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.            Plenary session to adopt the 40    
                                      priority resolutions and consider 
                                      delegate resolutions.             
    11:30 a.m.-Noon................  Closing session.                   
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Each delegate will have the opportunity to participate in three 
issue resolution development sessions. All four issues and subissues 
are to be offered concurrently at each of the three issue resolution 
sessions. More specific information on the Conference program will be 
provided to delegates in March and April. Delegates will be asked to 
indicate preferences among the four issues for participation in three 
issue resolution development sessions. Every effort will be made to 
accommodate delegates' preferences.

Part IV. Conference Resolutions Process

    This section of the final agenda for the Conference will discuss 
the process to be used for development and passage of resolutions. A 
major outcome of any White House Conference is a series of 
recommendations or resolutions for the development of future policy.
    The Policy Committee decided to concentrate the attention of the 
delegates on a limited number of resolutions. This action was taken to 
avoid the experience of past White House Conferences from which large 
numbers of recommendations were produced. The Policy Committee 
recognizes that the importance of recommendations as guidance for 
setting policy is diminished when the Conference delegates pass 
hundreds of recommendations for action.
    There will be two avenues for the introduction of resolutions to 
the Conference delegates. Described below is the first avenue, which 
begins with the pre-conference events and continues through the three 
issue resolution development sessions in which each delegate will 
participate. The Policy Committee has decided that this process will 
result in passage of no more than 40 resolutions by the Conference 
delegates.
    The second avenue for the introduction of resolutions is by 
delegates at the Conference. To be voted on by the delegates on Friday 
morning, a resolution must have the signatures of at least 10% of the 
delegates by midnight Thursday. These resolutions will be in addition 
to the 40 resolutions generated by the issue resolution development 
sessions.
    The recommendations generated by pre-conference events will provide 
the basis for development of Conference resolutions in each of the four 
issue areas. An Issue Resolution Steering Committee for each issue, 
composed of recognized experts on the issue and several Policy and 
Advisory Committee members, will review the relevant pre-conference 
recommendations to produce a series of resolutions to be considered by 
the delegates.
    The White House Conference on Aging is looking for resolutions 
which are substantive and can be translated into action at the various 
levels of government and/or in the private sector. The Policy 
Committee, therefore, encourages resolutions, to the extent possible, 
that are structured to include information which addresses:
     Availability (scope of services, level of providers, 
settings);
     Quality (processes and outcomes);
     Access (affordability, physical access and 
transportation);
     Responsibility (individual/government, public/private, 
Federal/State/local); and
     Cost (savings/financing, benefit).
    Draft resolutions for each of the issues will be sent to delegates 
several weeks before the Conference for their review. Delegates will 
have the opportunity to review the resolutions and come to the 
Conference prepared to offer suggestions, modifications or new 
resolutions for consideration. The draft resolutions will serve to 
initiate discussion in the issue resolution development sessions on 
Wednesday and Thursday. The Issue Resolution Steering Committee for 
each issue will review and consolidate the resolutions from each of its 
issue resolution development sessions. There could be as many as 50 
sessions on a single issue.
    A revised set of resolutions will be presented to the delegates for 
review before voting on Friday morning. This revised set will include 
resolutions introduced through both avenues, pre-conference 
recommendations and delegates at the Conference.
    The Policy Committee is investigating ways in which delegates may 
vote individually on resolutions Friday morning before the plenary 
session begins. This voting process would be used to allow delegates to 
determine resolutions to be brought to the plenary session. A simple 
majority will be required for passage of resolutions at the plenary 
session.

    Dated: January 26, 1995.
Fernando M. Torres-Gil,
Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 95-2431 Filed 2-1-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4130-02-M