Congresswoman Laura Richardson Applauds Decision by Department of Labor to Extend Employment Opportunities to Low-Income Seniors

Press Release

Congresswoman Laura Richardson applauds the new regulation announced today by the U.S. Department of Labor regarding the Senior Community Service Employment Program. This regulation is designed to strengthen the program's aspects that benefit unemployed, low-income senior citizens who are seeking to reenter the job force.

"Here in the 37th District, far too many of our seniors have been prevented from maintaining the basic necessities of life because of the Federal limit on how many hours they can work a week and a lack of training opportunities for them to get the skills the need to compete in the modern job market," Congresswoman Richardson said. "This regulation from the Department of Labor, along with the Expanding Opportunities for Older Americans Act (H.R. 4819), which I introduced this spring, will give our older friends and neighbors the opportunity to get the training they need to get jobs and to work the hours they need to provide for themselves and their families."

Both the Department of Labor regulation and Congresswoman Richardson's Expanding Opportunities for Older Americans Act deal with Title V of the Older Americans Act of 1965, which created the legal framework for older Americans in the workforce.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program regulation will improve the ability for older Americans to reenter the job force through its employment and training program by permanently creating a 48-month limitation on participation, as opposed to the previous 12-month limit; eliminating the 26 hour a week cap for seniors; and increasing available funds for training and supportive services.

"This new rule will make it possible for grantees to support older workers through job training programs that will ultimately help them enter or re-enter the workforce," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Jane Oates. "We took feedback provided from the public very seriously and incorporated it into this final rulemaking."

In addition, Congresswoman Richardson's Expanding Opportunities for Older Americans Act, which is under consideration in the House, would, if passed into law, create additional opportunities for seniors seeking to reenter the job force through this program. These opportunities would be made possible by lowering the eligibility age for participating in programs funded by the Act from 55 to 52; eliminating the requirement that the applicant be unemployed so long as applicant does not exceed income limit, which is set at the figure equal to 200 percent of the federal poverty level; basing eligibility on the income of individual applicant rather than income of family household; and prohibiting capping the number of hours program participants can work per week at less than 40 hours.

"With more than 102,000 or 15.5 percent of the people in the 37th District being older than 55, it is important to make sure they are not unfairly kept from providing for themselves and their families," Congresswoman Richardson added. "Both this new regulation from the Department of Labor and my introduced legislation will help to ensure that our older friends and neighbors are not forced into poverty because of their age, but have the opportunity to continue to actively contribute to their communities."

Congresswoman Richardson is a Democrat from California's 37th Congressional District. She is a member of the House Committees on Transportation & Infrastructure and Homeland Security and is chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response. Her district includes Long Beach, Compton, Carson, Watts, Willowbrook and Signal Hill.

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