2 WHAT IS THE SHL??? WHY DOES THE SHL EXIST??? WHERE DO YOU COME IN??? HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
WHAT IS THE SHL??? 3 SIMPLY PUT, THE SILVER HAIRED LEGISLATURE IS AN ELECTED BODY OF REGISTERED VOTERS, 60 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER, WHO PROMOTE CONSCIENTIOUS LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY FOR SOUTH CAROLINA S OLDER ADULTS.
4 The South Carolina Silver Haired Legislature was Created in 1999 by an Act of the SC General Assembly
5 The SHL works closely with the Lt. Governor s Office on Aging and the Area Agencies on Aging (AAA)
SOME SHL FACTS - - - - 6 1. The SHL is a non-partisan legislative body 2. It is made up of volunteer members representing every county in the state. 3. The number of members from each county is based on the county s senior population. The rate is 1 member per 5000 people who are 60 years of age and older. 4. Counties with lots of seniors have a max of 10 members; counties with few seniors have a minimum of 2 members. 5. Membership is limited to active seniors who are registered voters aged 60 and over.
MORE FACTS - - - - 7 6. Similar to the regular legislature, any person desiring to be an SHL member, including those seeking re-election, must apply or re-apply for the 2-yr terms. 7. Election to the Silver Haired Legislature is in February of even-numbered years, taking office on July 1, and requires a majority vote of the Caucus, preceded by completion of a Candidate Filing Form. 8. For the Area 1 caucus, there s also an interview with the Caucus Chair.
STILL MORE FACTS - - - - 9. The maximum number of members for the, based on our current population, is 39. 10. There is no fee to be in the Silver Haired Legislature, but on the other hand, most expenses are not reimbursed. 11. Vacancies between elections are filled by the Caucus Chair & approved by a majority vote of the members. Think of us as SERVANT LEADERS serving seniors by helping get needed laws passed and funded! 8
ALL COUNTIES ARE REPRESENTED. 9 The state is divided into 10 districts, each called a Caucus, made up of 3 to 6 counties. The Upstate of South Carolina, Area 1, is known as the and is made up of 6 counties. Area 1 counties & number of representatives: Anderson 8 Cherokee 2 Greenville 10 Spartanburg 10 Pickens 5 Oconee 4
10 CAUCUSES TOTAL. THE OTHER 9: Area 2 - Upper Savannah: Edgefield, Saluda, McCormick, Laurens, Greenwood, Abbeville Area 3 - Catawba: Chester, Lancaster, Union, York Area 4 - Central Midlands: Richland, Newberry, Lexington, Fairfield Area 5 - Lower Savannah: Calhoun, Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Orangeburg, Barnwell Area 6 - Santee-Lynches: Sumter, Lee, Kershaw, Clarendon Area 7 - Pee Dee: Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Chesterfield, Marion, Marlboro Area 8 - Waccamaw: Horry, Georgetown, Williamsburg Area 9 - Trident: Dorchester, Charleston, Berkley Area 10 - Low Country: Jasper, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton 10
http://aging.sc.gov/contact/pages/ InformationSpecialists.aspx 11 AREA 1 APPALACHIA CAUCUS AAA DISTRICTS Have The Same Footprint As SHL CAUCUSES
ABOUT THE CAUCUS. 12 Each Caucus serves the same counties as the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Each Caucus also works closely with senior groups to maintain a connection to the senior population and learn about the concerns of seniors that will require legislation to resolve
RECAPPING THE SHL PURPOSE.. 13 1. To identify issues, concerns and possible solutions for problems facing the Senior population in South Carolina; 2. To make recommendations for those solutions to the Governor and members of the South Carolina General Assembly
SHL PURPOSE (Cont d) 14 3. To educate the public on Senior issues 4. To encourage Seniors to participate actively in public affairs. 5. To carry out all purposes and activities on a nonpartisan basis; 6. To promote good government for all South Carolinians.
WHAT WE DO? 15 Your local Caucus members meet several times to present and discuss issues of concern to seniors that should be considered for legislation We formulate those issues into resolutions. The Caucus leader submits the local resolutions to the Speaker of the SHL. The Speaker of the SHL assigns them to one (1) of six (6) Committees to determine if they should receive further consideration.
SCREENING PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS: Each representative serves on one (1) of six (6) committees that meets in July of even years to select which resolutions will be considered by the entire Silver Haired Legislature that Sept: 1) Consumer Protection 4) Transportation 2) Economic Security 5) Long Term Care 3) Health 6) General 16
DEBATING & VOTING ON RESOLUTIONS 17 The entire SHL meets in Columbia for three (3) days in Sept to discuss, debate & vote on which resolutions will be submitted to the General Assembly for consideration during the following term s legislative term, (e.g. resolutions for the 2017-2018 legislative term were selected in 2016). Once all the resolutions have been voted to pass, or not, the members then prioritize the ones that passed
SUBMITTING THE RESOLUTIONS.. The Speaker of the SHL gives all Legislative Priorities to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, each member of the General Assembly, and other officials, emphasizing the ones that we ranked as the top three (3). Individual members of the Silver Haired Legislature then advocate for the resolutions via personal contact with lawmakers 18
RESOLUTION SUMMARY: A SIMPLE 3-STEP PROCESS 19 1- Each SHL Caucus develops proposals for resolutions, based on input from Seniors and other sources 2- The entire SHL meets in Columbia and decides which resolutions will be submitted to the Governor & Legislature for the upcoming term 3- SHL members Advocate with legislators for passage of laws similar to the submitted resolutions.
The Top 3 Priorities for the 2017-2018 Legislative Term (from the 2016 SHL) 1 st Priority ~ PROVIDING RESPITE FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS 2nd Priority ~ FUNDING IN-HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES 3 rd Priority ~ RESTORING GERIATRIC LOAN FORGIVENESS FUNDING 20 (14 Total Priorities Passed by the 2016 SHL)
21 I VE JUST TOLD YOU ALL ABOUT THE SHL, WHY WE EXIST AND WHAT WE DO.. NOW, THE BURNING QUESTION ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE WHERE DO I (that s YOU) FIT INTO ALL THIS?
22 We need your.. Ideas Participation Support --- and we also need you to.. Spread the word Get involved Talk to your legislator about issues important to seniors Let s expand each of these thoughts >>>>
We need your.. IDEAS 23 Which Senior needs in South Carolina are going un-met? Why? Who is being affected by a lack of resources or difficulty in accessing available resources? Why? How do you think the difficulties can be remedied? Is the solution viable?
We need your.. PARTICIPATION 23 Attend meetings and find out what seniors in your Zone of Influence are concerned about. Get involved in discussing issues important to seniors in your area Make the Silver Haired Legislature and lawmakers aware of these issues
We need your.. SUPPORT 25 Legislators may not know about Senior Needs unless somebody tells them The SHL affects positive change by making Senior Needs known to legislators and Advocating for those Needs Familiarize yourself with our Legislative Priorities and Advocate for them via Phone Call. Email. Letter. Personal Visit
--- and we need you to. SPREAD THE WORD 26 Tell your friends about the Silver Haired Legislature and what we do. Tell seniors in your neighborhood your church. your exercise class. at the Senior Center wherever you meet them about the SHL and what we are trying to accomplish.
--- and we need you to.. GET MORE INVOLVED 26 The SHL wants members who care enough and have the time to represent our fellow seniors. Advocate for new laws that will resolve problems. Join the SHL when there s an opening to help us in our efforts!
--- and we need you to.. TALK TO US 28 We need to hear from you (I ll take questions in a moment). We care that we are correctly representing your issues. We need to be made aware of new senior issues that will require legislation for satisfactory resolution.
29 Area 1 Chair: Mary Heatherly 864-583-6560 HeatherlyMD@BELLSOUTH.NET Link to this Area 1 presentation: https://scshlappalachiacaucus.wordpress. com/presentation/ SCSHL website: http://scsilverhairedleg.org/
30 THANK YOU!
Now --- It s your turn! --- 31 Tell me about unresolved senior issues you want to bring to the attention of legislators for consideration as new SC laws.
32 Area 1 Chair: Mary Heatherly 864-583-6560 HeatherlyMD@BELLSOUTH.NET Link to this Area 1 presentation: https://scshlappalachiacaucus.wordpress. com/presentation/ SCSHL website: http://scsilverhairedleg.org/ Stephen R Luck, SHL-Appalachia_2016