Senate Joint Resolution No. 4

Introduced by Senator Monning

February 21, 2013

Senate Joint Resolution No. 4—Relative to the federal Older Americans Act of 1965.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SJR 4, as introduced, Monning. Reauthorization of the federal Older Americans Act of 1965.

This measure would memorialize the President and Congress of the United States to enact appropriate legislation reauthorizing the federal Older Americans Act of 1965.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, In 2006, Congress reauthorized the federal Older
Americans Act of 1965 in its entirety, effective through the 2011
fiscal year; and

WHEREAS, The federal Older Americans Act of 1965 has not
been reauthorized since 2006, although it was updated in 2009 and
funding for its programs has been authorized since that date on an
annual basis; and

WHEREAS, The Congressional appropriations staff continue
to stress the tight spending caps on discretionary programs imposed
by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997; and

WHEREAS, A substantial number of older Americans living
in the State of California will be at risk if there are significant
reductions in allocated funds for the programs funded by the act;
and

WHEREAS, Further delay in the reauthorization of the federal
Older Americans Act of 1965 will erode the capacity of the act’s
various structures to deliver services to meet the needs of older
Americans; and

WHEREAS, The federal Older Americans Act of 1965 should
immediately be reauthorized to preserve the aging network’s role
in home- and community-based services, maintain the advocacy
and consumer directed focus of the act, and give area agencies on
aging increased flexibility in planning and delivering services to
vulnerable older Americans; and

WHEREAS, The federal Older Americans Act of 1965 should
be funded in the same manner in which the act has been funded
for the past 48 years; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature memorializes the President
and the Congress of the United States to enact appropriate
legislation that would reauthorize the federal Older Americans Act
of 1965.

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the
Majority Leader of the Senate, to the Chairman of the Senate
Special Committee on Aging, to each Senator and Representative
from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the
author for appropriate distribution.