Opinion

Silver Haired Election to be held May 5

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

The Silver Haired Legislature (SHL) is a formally elected body of citizens 60 years of age or older that promote conscientious legislative advocacy for Missouri's older adults.

All members are volunteers who serve without pay. Currently there are no term limits so a delegate may be re-elected to an unlimited number of terms. The elected delegates participate in a mock legislative session patterned after the MO General Assembly. The session is held in Jefferson City in the fall of each year. Many of the activities take place in the Senate and House chambers of the Capitol building.

The SHL delegates work all year as advocates for senior issues. They are kept abreast of proposed legislation and stay in touch with the legislators. Many of the legislators contact the SHL delegates asking for their input on proposed legislation.

There are 10 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) in Missouri and SHL delegates are elected from each AAA area. Aging Matters is our local AAA office, we serve18 counties in Southeast Missouri. Each AAA elects 15 people to serve as SHL delegates, this brings150 seniors together in Jefferson City to present bills, debate issues, and choose the top five for which they will advocate during the year.

In Aging Matters area there are openings for two senators, and nine representatives. These slots can be voted on and filled by anyone, who is 60 years old or older, in our 18 county area of Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard and Wayne.

The requirements are that one should be able to travel to Jefferson City and/or Cape Girardeau for meetings. It is beneficial for the elected person to be able to send and receive emails, because when the state legislators are in session things happen quickly and many times you will be contacted on the day of a hearing asking you to contact your state legislator the same day. The other obvious requirement is that one should be interested in the betterment of the lives of the Missouri senior citizens.

If you are interested in becoming a SHL delegate you should file a Declaration of Candidacy with the Aging Matters office. This statement must arrive in our office at 1219 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO. 63701 by close of business on April 20. You may obtain an application by contacting our office at 1-800-392-8771 or locally at 335-3331 or pick one up at your local senior center.

The May 5 election will be held at the area senior centers during regular business hours. Contact our office to learn more about this very important program.

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