Encore Fellowships are a central feature of both the Serve America Act of 2008, introduced by Senators Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch, and the Encore Service Act of 2008, proposed by Senators Chris Dodd and Thad Cochran, along with Kennedy.

Other innovative features in the bills would also help catalyze new solutions to major social challenges by calling Americans of all ages to serve their country and their communities. The two bills have some minor differences in approach, which will be worked out in the inevitably lengthy legislative process.

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are both co-sponsors of the Serve America Act, and both have pledged to sign it into law if elected.

At the ServiceNation Summit in New York City, Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Orrin Hatch introduced “a sweeping new national service bill” to recruit 175,000 Americans for work in health, education, environmental protection and anti-poverty programs, the Boston Globe reports.

The legislation includes provisions for Encore Fellowships aimed at older adults making the transition from their primary careers to encore careers in areas of critical need, such as education, health care and nonprofit management.

Senator Chris Dodd has introduced the Encore Service Act of 2008, which will offer stipends and educational awards to experienced Americans 55 and over, and will create the Encore Fellows Program to place outstanding older adults in one-year management and leadership positions in public service or private nonprofits.

The bill complements the new national service bill introduced by Sens. Kennedy and Hatch, which also includes provisions for encore service and calls for the creation of the Encore Fellows program. The two bills will ultimately be reconciled into a single piece of legislation.

“Whether you are a junior in high school or a new retiree, serving your country can be one of the most rewarding and unforgettable experiences of your life,” Dodd, a returned Peace Corps volunteer, said in a statement. “By harnessing the energy and enthusiasm of our nation’s youth and the wisdom and life experiences of older Americans, we can help meet many of our nation’s most pressing educational, environmental, and public safety needs through community service.”

In a forum at the ServiceNation Summit on September 11, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain both pledged to sign the new national service legislation if they are elected president.

Richard Stengel, Time magazine’s managing editor, kicked off a recent issue with a note to readers announcing a service “summit” in New York City on September 12.

“It is a unique moment for the idea of national service,” Stengel wrote. “You have two presidential candidates who believe deeply in service and who have made it part of their core message to voters. You have millions of Americans who are yearning to be more involved in the world and in their communities. You have corporations and businesses that are making civic engagement a key part of their mission.”

With the original Sun City, Arizona pioneered the model for “the golden years” vision of retirement as leisure. Now the state is pioneering a new model for the second half of life, in which experienced adults use their time and talent for the benefit of the community and themselves.

The center of activity is Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and contains more than half of the state’s population. By 2030, Maricopa expects a population of more than 6 million people – of whom more than 1.3 million will be over 60.

Rather than seeing those older adults as needy recipients of services, Arizona is tapping them as contributing providers. The Arizona Mature Workforce Initiative, with the motto, “Experience is Our Business!” has connected over 500 mature workers to employers, and has laid the groundwork for much greater impact, with job fairs, a job bank, a workforce transition center at a local community college and a program that certifies “mature worker friendly” employers.

Barack Obama highlighted “seniors getting ready to retire” as a crucial source of new ideas “that could benefit millions of Americans if they’re given the chance to grow.”

The Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign also singled out Experience Corps as “a good model that should be expanded beyond reading and mentoring to other challenges on which national service will be focused.”

Obama’s call to action to meet the nation’s great challenges is notable for its inclusiveness – military as well as civilian, faith-based as well as secular and older as well as younger. He issued the call in Colorado Springs today and in Zanesville, Ohio earlier this week; his campaign provided additional details.

Individuals and employers would get tax credits and other incentives to save money for the training and education needed to launch their encore careers under the Lifelong Learning Accounts Act of 2008, introduced by Reps. Rahm Emanuel and Jim Ramstad.

The bill, based on the “learning accounts” established last year by IBM to help its employees transition to their encores, differs from other federal education-financing programs in that it is specifically targeted to adults up to age 70.

“Between the ages of 18 and 65, you are effectively on your own when it comes to saving for additional education and training,” said Emanuel, a Democrat from Illinois. “401(k)s have clearly revolutionized the way that workers save for their retirement. Lifelong Learning Accounts will hopefully revolutionize the way workers invest in their education and training.”

We’ve complained that politicians seem to prefer sticks to carrots when it comes to encouraging people to extend their working lives.

Now, Senators Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.), Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.) and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) are offering some carrots.

Among other provisions, The Incentives for Older Workers Act, introduced April 28, would extend the Social Security bonus for recipients who postpone claiming their benefits beyond the “normal” retirement age. The change could mean bigger monthly checks — for life — for those who choose to keep working.

How are you handling health care coverage in your encore career or encore transition?

Securing adequate health coverage is perhaps the biggest challenge for people considering or embarking on their encore careers. Fear of losing coverage keeps many people from leaving their current jobs, while the inability to find or afford coverage can limit encore career options. Retiree health benefits are becoming ever more rare. Some employers (Home Depot, Starbucks) offer health coverage for part-time work, but few nonprofits and social sector employers have followed suit. High costs and exclusions for “preexisting conditions” often rule out individual coverage.

Encore.org is interested in how people are managing this challenge. Are you:

• Getting employer-sponsored health benefits in your encore job?
• Staying in your current job to keep health coverage?
• Covered under a retiree health program, your spouse’s or partner’s plan, or Medicare?
• Taking advantage of COBRA benefits?
• Working at a part-time job in retail or elsewhere, primarily for the health coverage?
• Paying for individual coverage, perhaps a high-deductible (“catastrophic”) plan?
• Going without?