September 17, 2007

We Need Your Help: Keep Up the Pressure on Key House and Senate Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Members!

As one of a few AAAs and Title VI programs with influential Representatives/Senators on the Appropriations Subcommittees that determine funding levels for Older Americans Act (OAA) programs, it is essential that they continue to hear from you at this critical stage in the process.

With Congress and the President at odds over discretionary spending levels for programs like OAA, members of both Subcommittees need to hear from constituent groups in support of the most favorable OAA increases in the House and Senate bills. Please send the sample letter (below) in support of retaining the highest funding levels for OAA programs in any final agreement on Labor/HHS spending.

Action Steps to Take

1) Customize the sample letter on your agency’s letterhead and send it, via fax or email, to your representatives on the House and Senate Labor/HHS Subcommittees (see list below).

2) Follow up on the letter by contacting their district and DC office staff. Utilize contacts in your Representative/Senator’s local office, and also be sure to reach out to the DC legislative staff covering OAA and appropriations issues.

3) Ask others to do the same! Urge colleagues, advisory board members, volunteers and clients to make calls and send faxes/emails.

4) Share any letters you send with n4a policy staff (khertz@n4a.org).

Background

Although the House has passed all its appropriations measures, the Senate has only completed four of the twelve spending bills and it is unlikely, although not impossible, that the Labor/HHS bill will come to the Senate floor as a stand-alone spending bill for a vote. Instead, it’s expected that the Labor/HHS bill will be merged with other spending measures, as part of large omnibus bill.

While it remains unclear how long it will take for the Senate to complete its appropriations work, President Bush has threatened to veto many of the spending bills from each chamber, which could further delay the completion of the FY ’08 spending process well into the start of the new fiscal year beginning on October 1. This means Congress will more than likely have to pass at least one, if not several, continuing resolutions (CR) or stopgap funding measures in order to keep government programs funded until final passage of all the spending bills.

This forecast frustrates n4a’s efforts to further raise OAA funding levels in the Senate bill by amending it on the floor. And, it makes it all that more important that members of the Labor/HHS Subcommittees continue to hear from the network in support of retaining the highest funding levels from the two bills.

For details on the recommended funding levels for OAA in the House and Senate Labor/HHS spending bills, please see n4a’s chart: http://www.n4a.org/members/pdf/FY2008July23.pdf.

Targeted Members

House Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

Senate Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

Sample Letter

Dear Senator/Representative [NAME]:

In your role as a member of the [House/Senate] Appropriations Subcommittee, [AGENCY NAME] requests that you support the highest of the House and Senate passed funding levels for Older Americans Act programs under the FY’ 08 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bills.

As you may know, the Older Americans Act (OAA) is the backbone of the nation's long-term care system, providing older adults with much needed services that include [FILL-IN INFORMATION ON YOUR PROGRAMS HERE].

For years, OAA funding has not kept pace with inflation or the growing population of individuals eligible for services, yet demand by at-risk older adults in need of supportive services has risen and will only continue to rise with the growth in the aging population.

[AGENCY NAME] appreciates your efforts so far this year to enhance funding for critical OAA programs in the midst of many other competing priorities. And, we encourage you continue to work with your colleagues on the Subcommittee to ensure that OAA programs receive the highest funding levels from the two chambers during conference, whether as part of a free-standing appropriations bill or an omnibus package.

To this end, we urge you to take the following steps in working to resolve the House and Senate OAA funding levels:

• Support the Senate-proposed funding of $28 million allotted under Title II for Choices for Independence activities (nursing home diversion, Aging and Disability Resource Centers, and evidence-based disease prevention).
• Support the House-proposed funding for Title III B Supportive Services and Centers, which would provide a 2 percent increase of $7 million for a range of services including senior transportation, senior centers, and in-home services, among others.
• Support the Senate proposed funding levels for Nutrition Programs, including Congregate; Home-Delivered Meals; and the Nutrition Services Incentive Program.
• Support the Senate-proposed funding levels for the Title VI Native American aging programs, including a 6.4 percent increase for Part A (Grants) and a 3 percent increase for Part C (Caregiver Support).
• Support the modest increase of $1 million proposed by the Senate for the Title VII Ombudsman/Elder Abuse Prevention programs.
• Support the House-proposed funding level for the Title V Senior Community Service Employment Program under the Department of Labor, which provides an increase of $47.2 million to allow Title V programs to keep pace with additional costs as a result of the federal minimum wage increase enacted this year.

We are counting on your leadership to provide the funding needed to allow elders in our communities to benefit from these vital sources of support. Thank you.

Sincerely,

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For more information, please contact Amy E. Gotwals (agotwals@n4a.org) or K.J. Hertz (khertz@n4a.org), n4a’s Public Policy and Legislative Affairs staff. 202-872-0888.