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the number and the percentage of older Americans in our society, I prefer not to think of the problems of older Americans, I prefer to think of the challenge of older Americans because it is the state that we all want to get in.

I hope to be an older American. In fact, I hope to be an older American for a long time, as I am sure you all do. Now what we have got to do, it seems to me, in this nation and in this Congress is to anticipate that challenge because it is going to be an everincreasing challenge.

I won't go into a lot of figures here, but let me give you some that are rather startling to me. Between 1960 and 1970, the population of persons aged 65 and over increased by over 6,000,000 from 16,600,000 to 22,900,000.

In 1960, persons 65 and older represented 9.2 percent of the population. By 1965, that had gone up to 9.5 percent; in 1970, it was 9.8 percent; by 1970, 10.5 percent. In other words, it grew in this period of 15 years from 9.2 percent to 10.5 percent. That is in a proportionate or percentage way.

In Louisiana the percentage of older Americans has greatly increased. Listen to this and just in this State in 1950, we had 177,000 older Americans aged 65 and older; by 1975, that had grown to 346,000, about twice as much. Now, some may refer to that as a problem and I think that is a measure of success. The success of medical care, nutrition programs, and all of the other things that go into extending the life and the golden years of citizens, but with that extension of life, which we all so devoutly desire, comes problems, challenges, nutrition, health, transportation, recreation, legal problems that we are now addressing in this new act, housing, all of the whole range of economic problems and others that relate to what you might call the quality of life.

So what we want to do today is get from you and from these other witnesses suggestions about how through legislation in Congress, we can improve the quality, not just the length of life, but the quality of life for older Americans. You can be very helpful to us in helping us fashion laws that will achieve a better quality of life.

I thank my colleague for coming down to New Orleans and for conducting these hearings.

Senator EAGLETON. Thank you, Senator Johnston.

[Text of S. 2850, S. 2609, and S. 2969 follows:]

95TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION

S. 2850

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

APRIL 6 (legislative day, FEBRUARY 6), 1978

Mr. EAGLETON introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Human Resources

A BILL

To amend the Older Americans Act to provide for improved programs for the elderly, and for other purposes.

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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 That (a) this Act may be cited as the "Older Americans 4 Act of 1978".

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(b) Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever 6 in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of 7 an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, 8 the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 9 other provision of the Older Americans Act of 1965.

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TITLE I-AMENDMENTS TO THE OLDER

AMERICANS ACT OF 1965

ADMINISTRATION

SEC. 101. (a) The second sentence of section 201 (a) is

5 amended by striking out "except for title VI" and inserting

6 in lieu thereof "except".

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(b) Section 203 is amended to read as follows:

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"FEDERAL AGENCY CONSULTATION

“SEC. 203. (a) Each Federal agency proposing to 10 establish programs and services substantially related to the

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11 purposes of this Act shall consult with the Administration 12 on Aging prior to the establishment of such programs and 13 services. Each Federal agency administering any program 14 substantially related to the purpose of this Act, particularly 15 administering any program set forth in subsection (b) of 16 this section, shall consult and cooperate with the Admin17- istration on Aging in carrying out such program. 18b4b) The programs referred to in subsection (a) are 19 programs for older persons under

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"(1) the Comprehensive Employment and Train

21ing Act of 1973,

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“(2) title II of the Domestic Volunteer Service

23 Act of 1973,

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"(3) title XX of the Social Security Act,

"(4) sections 231 and 232 of the National Housing

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"(5) section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959,

"(6) title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974,

"(7) section 222 (a) (8) of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and

'(8) sections 3, 5, 9, and 16 of the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964.".

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(c) Section 204 (c) is amended to read as follows:

'(c) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry

10 out the purposes of this section for the fiscal year 1979 and 11 for each of the two succeeding fiscal years, such sums as 12 may be necessary.".

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(d) (1) Section 205 is amended to read as follows:

"COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT ON AGING

"SEC. 205. (a) There is established in the Executive

16 Office of the President the position of Counselor to the Pres17 ident on Aging to be appointed by the President.

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"(b) The Counselor to the President on Aging shall

"(1) advise and assist the President with respect

to matters relating to the special needs of older Americans,

"(2) assist the Commissioner of the Administration on Aging to carry out the provisions of this Act, "(3) to review and evaluate all programs designed to meet the special needs of older Americans, particu

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larly programs assisted under this Act and programs set forth in section 203 (b), and

"(4) represents the interests of older Americans

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and to the general public.".

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before the department and agencies of the United States

(2) The Counselor to the President on Aging shall be 7 compensated at a rate fixed by the President not to exceed 8 the rate prescribed for level II under the Federal Executive 9 Salary Schedule under title 5 of the United States Code. 10 (e) Section 211 is amended by inserting “(a)” after 11 the section designation and by adding at the end thereof the 12 following new subsection:

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"(b) No part of the costs of any project under any 14 title of this Act may be treated as income or benefits to any 15 eligible individual for the purpose of any other program or 16 provision of State or Federal law.".

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GRANTS FOR STATE AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS ON

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AGING

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SEC. 102. Title III is amended to read as follows:

20 "TITLE III-GRANTS FOR STATE AND COMMU

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NITY PROGRAMS ON AGING

"PURPOSE

"SEC. 301. (a) It is the purpose of this title to encour

24 age and assist State and local agencies to concentrate re

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