of seniors with which we work that start a green business. that will have a huge environmental impact. >> there is a common perception that more seniors working will take away youth employment. studies show it is exactly the opposite. it creates more youth jobs. comment on that. >> that is absolutely true. one of the individuals in your state of florida was a senior who started the company and the company grew so much faster than he anticipated that he had to hire his children to help scale the organization. theorks both ways with seniors and intergenerational business start ups, but the seniors that create jobs are creating jobs for young people. we say prosperity knows no age boundary. it is true. with the jobs they create, everyone benefits. the study from the association

of enterprise opportunity has documented that if just one in three small businesses hire one additional employee, the unemployment rate in the united states would be zero. about,st wanted to talk and my particular case, we jobse an average of 50 with benefits. usually young mothers with small children. we have created in the past 17 years over 7000 new jobs with benefits throughout the 23 states we are working in. we hire old people, too. [laughter] of course. >> i think we all recognize the contributions that small business makes to employment. it stands to reason that as more and senior entrepreneurs start, or opportunities for employment for younger people and others, many of these being entry level

positions with training, will become available. i think the more we can encourage this fantastic phenomenon, the better. again, i support what my -- what can says. -- ken says. small businesses in general have a great impact on the economy. engaging entrepreneurs so they have an opportunity to create new jobs will benefit not only additional older individuals but younger people who are able to seek employment with those opportunities as well. any final collins, comments? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i just want to thank our panel today. i think this has been a fascinating hearing that is really going to help increase public awareness of the critical

and growing role that senior -- onreneurs, on core koran for are playing in our economy. characterization of the changing demographics as being a silver lining rather than a silver tsunami. that is a wonderful line and i hope you won't mind if i start using it. it was really interesting. chairman suggesting that we do this hearing, i had no idea that more older people were starting businesses in the very younger parts of our population. this has been an eye-opener for me, as well. thank you, mr. chairman. >> senator collins, i am frequently reminded for chance you are as well in our

capacities as the seniors senators of our respective states that upon introduction, people get tongue tied. instead of saying the senior senator from florida, they introduce me as the senior citizen of florida. [laughter] >> that is so true. it happens to me, as well. >> this has been a tremendous hearing. we want to thank you and the meeting is adjourned. >> thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> in his weekly radio address, president obama urged congress to pass a bill to raise the min

wage for all workers. tom rooney has the republican address. he discusses the impact on seniors. >> hi, everybody. in this era of action, i said i would do everything in my power to expand opportunity for more americans. liftweek i took actions to more workers' wagers by requiring federal contractors to pay their employees it wage of at least $10.10 an hour. these are workers who serve our troops' meals, washing their dishes, care for our veterans. americans that work hard and will get a raise as these contracts,. this will be good for contractors, taxpayers, and america's bottom line. we know why this is important. our economy has grown for four years. businesses have greeted a .5 million new jobs. while those at the top are doing better than never, average wages have barely budge. working americans are

harder than ever to get by, let alone get ahead. that has been true since before the recession. that is why we have to build an economy that works for everyone. we have to restore opportunity for all. the notion that no matter who you are or how you started out, with hard work and responsibility you can get ahead in america. the opportunity agenda i laid out is built on more new jobs that pay good wages, better training for people to fill those jobs, a smarter education for our kids, and making sure that honest work is rewarded. the action i took this week will reward hard work for more americans. to finish the job, congress needs to act. in the year since i first asked congress to raise the minimum wage, in six states have raised theirs. and counties are taking steps to join them. an overwhelming majority of americans support raising the minimum wage that is worth about

20% less than when ronald reagan took office. there is a bill in congress that would boost america's min wage to $10.10 an hour. that is easy term member -- -- easy to remember, ten ten. most low-wage jobs are held by women and raising the minimum wage would not just raise their wages, its affect would lift wages for about 28 million americans. it would lift millions of americans out of poverty and help millions more work their way out of poverty without requiring a single dollar in new taxes or spending. businessese more more customers with more money to spend. that means growing the economy for everyone. you deserve to know where the people who represent you stand on this issue. if they don't support raising the federal minimum wage, ask them why not. the opponents of raising people postural wages have deployed the old arguments for years.

time and again, they have been proven wrong. let's prove them wrong again and give america a raise. let's make opportunity easier to come by for everyone was willing to work for. thank you and have a great weekend. >> good morning. my name is tom rooney. in the house, i represent florida's 17th district. he promises are more sacred than the ones we make to older americans. protecting the dignity and security the seniors have earned it is a commitment that spans generations and party lines. during president obama's health care speech to congress in the fall of 2009, he took a moment to speak directly to older americans. these steps, he said, will make sure that you get the benefits you have been promised. then during his town hall from seniors around the country, he said he wanted to respond to what he called hysterical claims about his plan. here's the truth, he said -- if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.

that is a promise he made several times. to helpthe reality -- pay for his health care law, the president made the cuts to be successful medicare advantage program which serves nearly 30% of all medicare beneficiaries. this includes seniors with low incomes, patients with chronic conditions, and americans in rural areas. win-win program they give seniors more control over their care and delivers better value for both them and the taxpayer. because of the president's health care law, i am hearing from seniors in my district to of already lost their doctors. constituents tell me they can no longer see their primary care physicians they have been going to for 10 or 20 years. one woman told me that four of her specialists have already been dropped from her plan. another shared with me the story of how her husband lost access to the cardiologist given scenes for five years. -- cardiologist he had been seeing for five years. some people have to drive an

hour or more to see a cardiologist eight primary care specialist. across the country, and seniors are paying more money with fewer choices, less access, and less these of mine. this goes beyond a glitch or pocketbook issue. this is a breach of faith. promises haves proven false for working families and now they are proving false for our seniors. that is why republican leaders sent a letter to the president warning that at least something is done, his health care will continue to wipe out off to is for seniors. he gavee assurances older americans, shouldn't he developed a plan to address the problems the laws causing? that is what our letter asked him to do. better yet, members of both parties should listen to stories like the ones i have shared. i am sure it sounds a lot like what they're hearing in their own districts. let's work together to repeal this law so we can focus on better solutions that lower cost for all americans. especially our parents and grandparents.

we pledge to do our part and now we asked the president to do his. thank you for listening. >> coming up next on c-span, all "the communicators." after that, c-span's original first ladies. >> c-span, created by america's cable company 35 years ago and brought to you today as a public service by your television rovider. >> and joining us this week on "the communicators" is the ranking member of the