NA [ha ler OLDER AMERICANS ACT Mr. Speaker, In the national climate that seeks to create a “Great Society" through the enrichment of the life of man, we shail be guilty of dereliction of duty unless we give ee than lip service to the needs of the 18 million Older Americans in our present society. | The brochure writers, the social workers and even lepisiaters talk and nee of the “Golden Years” and of “Senior Citizens" but these are euphemisms. The enormous strides in medicine and technology have added years to life, but for too many, we have merely given them meaningless years in which to exist. We are Gn the threshold of enacting a program of health care for the aged and most of us will agree that action is long overdue. However, I am deeply concerned that some may be misguided into believing that health-care is the total answer to the needs of the elderly. If we are to make it possible for older persons to realize their full potential in the later years, we must establish a framework or an organizational structure that will stimulate, assist and support positive practical, as e a ae action programs. These should remove arbitrary age barriers, ereate opportunities baseq on experience and ability, and recegnize the right of older persons te dignity and independ- ence throughout the added years. This is a@ pleasI have made specifically to each session of Congress since 1958 but the urgency for prompt action in this session has reached the critical stage. It is inexcusable that fifteen years after the first committee on ageing was established in the Federal Security Agency in 1050, that we have made so little progress in implementing the knowledge that we have derived from the hun- dreds ~- or even thousands of meetings and conferences that have been held on the subject of aging - including the White Neuse Geutenenee on Aging held four years ago. Perhaps, I am more deeply aware of this tragedy of Siientubty: wesenee of my close association with the legisla- tion that has been proposed to restore older Americans to their rightful places as first class citizens. Am objective appraisal of the program on aging pursued in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare and by the ever - reorganized - still ~- the same ineffective interdepartmental council on aging is convincing evidence of the need fer an independent egganization in the field of | aging; one that can deal forthrightly with the many phases of the eub ject without beng submerged, dominated or diluted with other programs primarily directed toward welfare. One need only glance through the latest insult to aging "On Growing Older" published by the Council.to under- stand why I urge prompt consideration of the "Older Americans Act" which I am introducing today. This bill is identical with the Older Americans Act which I introduced last year and which was enthusiastically supported by national authorities, state officials and | organizations of older persons on a bi-partisan basis. On June 11 of last year, the Committee on Education and Labor submitted the following report on H.R. 10088. "The Committee on Education and Labor, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 10088) to provide assistance in the development of new or improved programs to help older per- sons through grants to the States for community Planning and services and for training, through research, development, or training project grants, and to establish within the Depart- ment of Health, Education, and Welfare an operating agency to be designated as the "Administration on Aging," having considered the same, report deveretehy thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do pass." whe The bill meets the major organizational recommenda- tions of the White House Conference on Aging and overcomes the present welfare stigma on aging by establishing the “Administration on Aging" in HEW but removed from the welfare setting and supervision. The Secretary of HEW is authorized to carry out during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1966, and each of the four sueceeding fiscal years, the following program of $5,000,000 for fiscal year ending June 30, 1966 $8,000,000 for fiscal year ending June 30, 1967 - $8,000,000 for fiscal year ending June 30, 1968 - sen each of the two succeeding fiscal years, such gums as the Congress may authorize by law. The Secretary shall carry out Titles IV and V (The Research Development Projects and training projects) and is authorized | $1,300,000 fox fiscal year ending June 30, 1966 $3,000,000 fer fiscal year ending June 30, 1967 $3,000,000 for fiscal year ending June 30, 1968 + each of wwe succeeding fiscal years, such sums as may be appropriate as the Congress may hereafter ouemauikien by law. «$« | These grants and appropriations have been so au- | thorized to give Congress the opportunity te review the results after three years +o neumere the accomplishments and continuation of the program. The grants to the states would salvage the programs that were begun in preparation for and since the White House Conférence on Aging that need a minimum of financial assist- ance to move forward. For the first time, there will have been created at the Federal level a practical operating program that works with the states, communities and older individuals toward an action proguen that will. help te achieve the maxtsun poten tial of the Older American as a national asset. I earnestly hope the Older Americans Act will be recognized for immediate consideration and that you will give it your full cooperation and support.