{"id":194,"date":"2018-06-10T22:54:33","date_gmt":"2018-06-10T22:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kansas-shl.org\/?page_id=194"},"modified":"2024-02-16T21:00:06","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T21:00:06","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.kansas-shl.org\/index.php\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is The Silver Haired Legislature?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Created by an Act of Congress in 1969, each state was encouraged to create a body of Seniors who would identify issues important to older Kansas adults 60+ and to educate the Kansas Legislature about those issues.<\/p>\n

The Kansas Silver Haired Legislature was created by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 1649, which was passed by the 1982 Legislature.\u00a0 It created a unicameral legislature composed of 125 representatives.\u00a0 All are 60+ years old and are elected from their county of residence.<\/p>\n

Wyandotte, Johnson, Shawnee and Sedgwick have five additional representatives.<\/p>\n

Silver Haired Legislature Provides Opportunities<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. To identify priority concerns of Kansans over 60 years of age;<\/li>\n
  2. To develop bills and resolutions designed to address those identified concerns; and<\/li>\n
  3. To present those resolutions to the Kansas Legislature & Governor as recommendations for state policy.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What Are Responsibilities of the Silver Haired Legislature?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. Advocate for the KSHL Legislation with State Legislators.<\/li>\n
    2. Testify at hearings held regarding KSHL Legislation.<\/li>\n
    3. Meet with seniors in their county & district about legislation affecting older adults.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Who May Become a Silver Haired Legislator?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      Any Kansan aged 60 or over who is a registered voter may file for candidacy.\u00a0 The term of office is two years and members may file for re-election.<\/p>\n

      When is the Annual Session Held?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      The Kansas Silver Haired Legislature meets each fall for three days in Topeka, Kansas.<\/p>\n

      How Are Silver Haired Legislators Elected?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
        \n
      1. Silver Haired Legislators (SHL) elections are conducted by Area Agencies on Aging every 2 years. Voting normally occurs in every odd numbered year, dates and times to be determined.<\/li>\n
      2. \u00a0Candidates and voters must live in the district in which they are voting, be a registered voter, and at least 60 years old.<\/li>\n
      3. \u00a0Candidate registration forms, petitions, and filing instruction are available from the Area Agencies on Aging.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Monetary Remuneration<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        Some reimbursement is made for travel to the annual legislative session.\u00a0 When the budget allows, lodging and some meals for the session are covered.<\/p>\n

        How Is Silver Haired Legislature Funded?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        The Silver Haired Legislature is supported by donations and volunteer help.\u00a0 Contributions are tax deductible and may be made payable to the SHL Treasurer and sent the Treasurer or to an Area Agency on Aging (AAA).<\/p>\n

        How To Get Involved<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        To become a candidate, obtain rules & procedures from the AAA or the SHL office.\u00a0 If not a candidate, support your representatives and suggest legislation about issues that concern older Kansans.<\/p>\n

        Recent Successful Legislation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        A Grandparents Rights Bill was prepared\u00a0by the Kansas Silver Haired Legislature to\u00a0open the way for judges overseeing custody cases to consider grandparents as\u00a0potential guardians for their grandchildren\u00a0if their relationship with the children was\u00a0a viable alternative to foster care. The\u00a0grandparents-as-guardians option will\u00a0benefit children and reduce Kansas expenditures.<\/p>\n

        The legislation was suggested to the\u00a0Kansas Legislature; gathered support and\u00a0sponsorship; was passed by both the Kansas House of Representatives and Kansas\u00a0Senate and signed into law by Governor\u00a0Brownback.<\/p>\n

        In the 2017 legislative session, the SHL\u00a0was successful in getting $2.1 million restored\u00a0to the Senior Care Act which helps keep\u00a0seniors in their own homes and helps keep\u00a0seniors off of Medicaid. The cost difference\u00a0to the state is $200 per month for SCA\u00a0services compared to $3,000 to $4,000 per\u00a0month in a care facility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        What is The Silver Haired Legislature? Created by an Act of Congress in 1969, each state was encouraged to create a body of Seniors who would identify issues important to older Kansas adults 60+ and to educate the Kansas Legislature about those issues. The Kansas Silver Haired Legislature was created by Senate Concurrent Resolution No.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-194","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansas-shl.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansas-shl.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansas-shl.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansas-shl.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansas-shl.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansas-shl.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":832,"href":"https:\/\/www.kansas-shl.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/194\/revisions\/832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kansas-shl.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}