Session of 2000
House Concurrent Resolution No. 5054 By Representative Myers (By Request) 1-24

10 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION expressing support for increased
11 funding and expansion of existing work training and retraining pro-
12 grams to provide work training and retraining services to older
13 Kansans.
14
15
16 WHEREAS, An increasing number of older workers aged 45 to 64
17 have been losing their jobs in recent years through no fault of their own;
18 and
19 WHEREAS, Despite the positive attributes they bring to the work
20 place, they are among the first to be laid off in downsizing or corporate
21 restructuring and they experience longer periods of unemployment, dis-
22 crimination in the hiring process and often receive inadequate job coun-
23 seling and placement services; and
24 WHEREAS, Today's older workers have a considerable education def-
25 icit compared to their younger counterparts. About half did not complete
26 high school, and the education acquired at that time is outdated. Lacking
27 computer skills and the knowledge required for the modern job market,
28 they require careful assessment to determine their best skills and the most
29 suitable training or retraining programs to help them stay in the labor
30 force or re-enter it. Yet many government-sponsored programs have an
31 age cut-off of 35, or do not adequately address the needs of older learners;
32 and
33 WHEREAS, The process of learning, work and retirement have now
34 melded into a continuous stream, each ebbing and flowing throughout
35 every worker's lifetime; and
36 WHEREAS, Preparation for retirement throughout one's working life,
37 and the transition into retirement, whether abrupt or gradual, by choice
38 or not, are critical issues for both the individual and society. Older workers
39 who lose their jobs in their peak earning years will not be able to save
40 enough to live well for the last third of their lives. They won't have money
41 to spend, their health will deteriorate more rapidly, and they will be less
42 able to contribute to our communities; and
43 WHEREAS, The nature of work has changed rapidly over the last
44 decade. Nonstandard forms of employment, part-time, contract and sea-

2
1 sonal jobs, self-employment, etc., often with poor security, low wages and
2 few or no benefits, have replaced many of the full-time positions workers
3 used to hold throughout their careers; and
4 WHEREAS, With inadequate income, older workers often barely
5 meet day-to-day needs, let alone invest in their future by saving for re-
6 tirement, to replace pensions they may no longer receive; and
7 WHEREAS, The youth-dominated society of the last few decades will
8 dramatically change in the future, as the United States Census Bureau
9 estimates that senior citizens will account for up to a quarter of the pop-
10 ulation by the year 2031. Global competitiveness dictates our attention
11 to this demographic shift. The United States, and Kansas in particular,
12 cannot expect to maintain a trained and productive work force if it ignores
13 the needs of its older workers. As a result, programs designed to contin-
14 ually update the work skills of older Kansans are essential for a thriving
15 future economy; and
16 WHEREAS, By taking into account the long-term impact of such pro-
17 grams, a cohesive set of social policy reforms can help Kansas become
18 the best possible place to live, work and grow older: Now, therefore,
19 Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Kansas,
20 the Senate concurring therein: That the Kansas Legislature supports
21 increased financial support for job training and retraining programs de-
22 signed to serve older Kansans including: The Senior Citizens Community
23 Service Employment Program (SCCSEP) and the Older Kansan Em-
24 ployment Program (OKEP); and
25 Be it further resolved: That replacement funding for statewide pro-
26 grams should be developed; that statewide older worker training and em-
27 ployment services should be funded from the 15% state-level set aside;
28 that SCCSEP participants and other older workers should be included in
29 the definition of hard-to-serve populations, therefore preserving the op-
30 portunity for older Kansans to be served by training programs tailored to
31 meet their needs; and
32 Be it further resolved: That funds should be retained in the amount
33 of one-third from the 15% reserve of the Workforce Investment Act Dis-
34 cretionary Fund, and that these funds should be utilized to provide ad-
35 ditional opportunities for the development and funding of special services
36 for older workers; and
37 Be it further resolved: That existing workforce training and retraining
38 programs including, but not limited to the Kansas Industrial Training
39 (KIT) and Kansas Industrial Retraining (KIR) programs and State of Kan-
40 sas Investment in Lifelong Learning (SKILL) projects should be reviewed
41 to ensure that such programs are adequately designed and properly ad-
42 ministered to meet the needs of older Kansas workers.
43