May 21, 2024 Advocacy Alert
Senate Aging Committee Older Americans Act Hearing
Support Your Fellow AAAs and Advocate for OAA Reauthorization
May 21, 2024
The long-awaited Senate Special Committee on Aging Older Americans Act hearing is finally upon us this week! On Thursday, May 23, the Senate Aging Committee will host a hearing titled, “The Older Americans Act: The Local Impact of the Law and the Upcoming Reauthorization.” This hearing is especially significant as two of the four selected witnesses are AAA directors from Indiana and Pennsylvania, representing the states of Senate Aging leaders Chairman Bob Casey (D-PA) and Ranking Member Mike Braun (R-IN). Leslie Grenfell, Executive Director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania AAA and Laura Holscher, Executive Director of Generations, Area 13 Agency on Aging in Indiana, will be our representatives for this critical hearing.
Just a few months ago in March, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held an OAA hearing aimed at gathering information to support the needs of older adults. However, despite the hearing title’s focus on OAA, it solely focused on nutrition and uplifting senior centers, and did not include any representation from the recognized local leaders on aging, AAAs. While the Senate HELP Committee has jurisdiction over the Older Americans Act, the Senate Aging Committee has been a key player in the efforts of the next OAA reauthorization, and the inclusion of two AAAs in this hearing is no small feat.
Leslie and Laura have worked diligently over the past two weeks to prepare strong testimonies that speak to the experiences and challenges of AAAs and the critical support role they play in the lives of older adults across the country. USAging is proud to have Leslie and Laura as witnesses for this hearing and looking forward to cheering them on this Thursday!
Tune in here at 9:30 AM ET on Thursday, May 23, to support your fellow AAAs as they advocate for the next reauthorization of the Older Americans Act!
Advocate for OAA Reauthorization
OAA reauthorization is top of mind for both the Senate Aging and HELP Committees, and the upcoming hearing presents a window of opportunity to engage your Members of Congress on all things OAA. House and Senate members will be in their home states next week for a recess period and now is the perfect time to engage them!
Take Action Now!
Contact your Representatives and Senators NOW to advocate for reauthorization of OAA programs and services. Use USAging’s Reauthorization Toolkit at www.usaging.org/OAA as you engage your Members of Congress and local grassroots advocates! You can do any/all of the below to get started!
- Send an email or letter to your Representatives and Senators. Use USAging’s template letter to get started educating your Members of Congress. It is particularly important that lawmakers hear from you if they serve on the Senate HELP and/or Aging Committee(s) or the House Education and Labor Committees, which have jurisdiction over OAA in Congress. You can find the contact information on your Members’ websites: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov. USAging has posted a list of key House and Senate committee members.
- Engage your Members of Congress on social media. Use USAging’s OAA social media toolkit on Facebook, LinkedIn and X to spread the word about OAA! Make sure to follow and tag your lawmakers in these posts.
- Ask your grassroots to email/post a short social media note to lawmakers. Members monitor their email/website traffic for constituent correspondence, and personal messages resonate most. Ask your grassroots advocates to share why OAA is important to them.
- Share stories in person. Attend a townhall meeting next week to share how important OAA services are to older adults and caregivers. Better yet, invite your Members of Congress to come see your agency in action and meet some of their constituents receiving OAA services! We need all AAAs, Title VI Native American programs and local allies to raise their voices and awareness about OAA and the importance of reauthorizing these bipartisan, trusted programs. We must ensure that all members of Congress know that OAA enables their older constituents and their caregivers to age with health, well-being, dignity and independence in their districts and states.
Stay tuned for more updates from USAging and check out www.usaging.org/OAA for additional advocacy resources, and as always, we thank you for your advocacy!
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If you have questions or concerns about this Advocacy Alert or USAging’s policy positions, please contact Amy Gotwals, Olivia Umoren and Seth Ickes at policy@usaging.org.