A resolution designating May 2019 as "Older Americans Month".

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 241 Designating May 2019 as ‘‘Older Americans Month’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 10, 2019 Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. CASEY, Mr. BURR, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Ms. WARREN, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. JONES, Mr. HAWLEY, Ms. ROSEN, Ms. MCSALLY, Ms. SINEMA, and Mr. SCOTT of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating May 2019 as ‘‘Older Americans Month’’. Whereas President John F. Kennedy first designated May as ‘‘Senior Citizens Month’’ in 1963; Whereas, in 1963, only approximately 17,000,000 individuals living in the United States were age 65 or older, approxi- mately 1⁄3 of those individuals lived in poverty, and few programs existed to meet the needs of older individuals in the United States; Whereas, in 2018, there were more than 52,431,193 individ- uals age 65 or older in the United States, and those indi- viduals accounted for 16 percent of the total population of the United States; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Jun 10, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR241.ATS SR241 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •SRES 241 ATS Whereas approximately 10,000 individuals in the United States turn age 65 each day; Whereas, in 2019, more than 9,056,000 veterans of the Armed Forces are age 65 or older; Whereas older individuals in the United States rely on Fed- eral programs, such as programs under the Social Secu- rity Act (42 U.S.C. 301 et seq.) (including the Medicare program under title XVIII of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) and the Medicaid program under title XIX of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.)), for financial security and high-quality affordable health care; Whereas the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) provides— (1) supportive services to help individuals in the United States who are age 60 or older maintain max- imum independence in the homes and communities of those individuals; and (2) funding for programs, including nutrition serv- ices, transportation, and care management, to assist more than 11,000,000 older individuals in the United States each year; Whereas, compared to older individuals in the United States in past generations, older individuals in the United States in 2019 are working longer, living longer, and enjoying healthier, more active, and more independent lifestyles; Whereas, in 2018, an estimated 5,976,000 individuals in the United States age 65 or older continued to work as full- time, year-round employees; Whereas older individuals in the United States play an im- portant role in society by continuing to contribute their experience, knowledge, wisdom, and accomplishments; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Jun 10, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR241.ATS SR241 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •SRES 241 ATS Whereas older individuals in the United States play vital roles in their communities and remain involved in volun- teer work, the arts, cultural activities, and activities relat- ing to mentorship and civic engagement; and Whereas a society that recognizes the success of older individ- uals and continues to enhance the access of older individ- uals to quality and affordable health care will— (1) encourage the ongoing participation and height- ened independence of those individuals; and (2) ensure the continued safety and well-being of those individuals: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) designates May 2019 as ‘‘Older Americans 2 Month’’; and 3 (2) encourages the people of the United States 4 to provide opportunities for older individuals to con- 5 tinue to flourish by— 6 (A) emphasizing the importance and lead- 7 ership of older individuals through public rec- 8 ognition of the ongoing achievements of the 9 older individuals; 10 (B) presenting opportunities for older indi- 11 viduals to share their wisdom, experience, and 12 skills with younger generations; and 13 (C) recognizing older individuals as valu- 14 able assets in strengthening communities across 15 the United States. 16 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Jun 10, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR241.ATS SR241 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS