![](media/image1.png){width="8.025in" height="10.588888888888889in"}

GORDON SMITH, OREGON, CHAIRMAN HERB KOHL, WISCONSIN, *Ranking Member*

RICHARD C. SHELBY, ALABAMA JAMES M. JEFFORDS, VERMONT

SUSAN COLLINS, MAINE RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, WISCONSI

JAMES M. TALENT, MISSOURI RON WYDEN, OREGON

ELIZABETH DOLE, NORTH CAROLINA BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, ARKANSAS

MEL MARTINEZ, FLORIDA EEN BAYH, INDIANA

LARRY E. CRAIG, IDAHO THOMAS R. CARPER, DELAWARE

RICK SANTORUM, PENNSYLVANIA BILL NELSON, FLORIDA

CONRAD BURNS, MONTANA HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, NEW YORK

LAMAR ALEXANDER, TENNESSEE

JIM DEMINT, SOUTH CAROLINA

United States Senate

SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING

WASHINGTON, DC 20510-6400

(2O2) 224-5364

October 4, 2005

The Honorable Elaine L. Chao

Secretary of Labor

U.S. Department of Labor

200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20210

Dear Secretary Chao:

As Chairman and Ranking Member of the United States Senate Special
Committee on Aging, we have\
elevated the issue of expanding opportunities for older workers to the
forefront of the Committee\'s agenda. As part of this initiative, we are
requesting that the Department of Labor (DOL) immediately convene an
inter-agency task force to develop legislative and regulatory proposals
addressing the issues raised by the aging of our workforce. Such a task
force is of critical importance in developing a comprehensive and
coordinated national response to this critical challenge.

In the 21^st^ Century, older Americans will represent a growing share of
our population. By 2030, the share of our population over age 65 will
increase from about 12 percent to almost 20 percent. As a result of this
and other demographic trends, businesses could face significant labor
force shortages in the coming years that will have a significant impact
on our nation\'s economy. Furthermore, a \"brain drain\" may occur with
American businesses losing their most experienced workers - many of whom
have skills that simply are not replaceable. However, the effects of
these trends can be mitigated if older Americans remain in the workforce
longer. Therefore, we must develop policies that encourage extended work
lives and remove barriers that hinder working longer.

We commend DOL for convening an *intra-departmental* older workers task
force in November 2004.\
The goal of this task force, which is composed of relevant DOL agencies,
is to assist businesses in meeting their workforce needs and help older
workers obtain the necessary skills and access opportunities to enable
them to continue working. This panel is an important first step toward a
broader government-wide effort to address this issue.

We now call upon DOL to convene an *inter-agency* task force on older
workers. The federal agencies that have regulatory jurisdiction over or
a clear policy interest in issues relating to older workers are
scattered throughout the federal bureaucracy. Therefore, because of the
breadth of the challenge of an aging workforce, it is critical that the
efforts of these federal agencies be coordinated.

*Web Site: http://aging.senate.gov*

Accordingly, DOL should assume a leadership role in developing and
facilitating an inter-agency older\
workers task force. This task force should be comprised of all of the
federal agencies that deal with issues facing older workers, including,
but not limited to the Department of the Treasury, the Internal Revenue
Service, the Social Security Administration, the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission., the Department of Health and Human Services,
and the Administration on Aging. The task force also should obtain input
from nongovernmental stakeholders, including senior, business and Labor
organizations. The participation of the relevant federal agencies, and
consultation with nongovernmental stakeholders, is essential to the
formation of a comprehensive and balanced national policy.

This panel should identify statutory and regulatory provisions in
current law that tend to limit opportunities for older workers and
develop legislative and regulatory proposals that address the issues
raised by the aging of our workforce. Other information, such as best
practices in the private sector and a review of federal programs for
hiring and retaining older workers (such as the EPA\'s Senior
Environmental Employment Program), also should be gathered. The task
force\'s findings and proposals should then be summarized in a report to
be provided to Members of Congress and the heads of all federal agencies
to serve as a blueprint for reform. The task force also should publicly
highlight its research and recommendations by organizing a Conference on
the Aging Workforce. Finally, the United States Senate Special Committee
on Aging will call on DOL to testify before the Committee on its
findings and recommendations.

Thank you for your leadership in developing and facilitating the
inter-agency older workers taskforce. Please do not hesitate to call on
us or our staff if we can be of any assistance as the Department
proceeds with this important initiative.

Sincerely,

> Gordon H. Smith Herb Kohl
>
> Chairman Ranking Member

cc: Ms. Emily Stover DeRocco

Assistant Secretary for Employment & Training

Barbara D. Bovbjerg

Director

Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues

U.S. Government Accountability Office

441 G Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20548

> OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
>
> TRANSMITTAL AND ROUTING SLIP

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