Town Hall: Silver-Haired Legislature wants to hear from you

Do you have an idea for a new State law that could improve quality of life for aging Texans?

Well, this is your chance to share your thoughts and to review other issues pending before the 20th session of our Texas Silver-Haired Legislature this spring.

You are invited to a Boerne/Kendall County Legislative Town Hall, hosted by TSHL from 2-3:30 p.m. Feb. 8 in the community room at the Patrick Heath Public Library, 451 N. Main St., Boerne.

The Texas Silver-Haired Legislature was authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1985 to serve as a voice for aging Texans, and is a statewide, non-partisan, all-volunteer, self-funded, non-profit.

TSHL is represented in our local Alamo Area Agency on Aging by Boerne resident Edward Rogers, who serves as Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore.

TSHL’s goal is to use its collective knowledge of issues facing older Texans to initiate, debate, and recommend solutions to state agencies and to your Texas Legislature representatives.

That’s where you come in, by sharing your ideas and opinions at this upcoming Town Hall.

TSHL will listen to the concerns that affect Kendall County’s older residents, identify public policy issues, and then research and become informed advocates. Its 80-plus members statewide will write, debate and adopt resolutions to inform state legislators on these concerns.

Once the Texas Legislature convenes in 2025, TSHL members will testify at Senate and House committee hearings, locate elected representative sponsors and advocate together for such legislation.

This Kendall County Town Hall will inform TSHL of the concerns of area residents when it holds its 20th biennial legislative session in May on the floor of the Texas House in Austin.

Upon conclusion, TSHL will publish its legislative report and, in accordance with a mandate from the Texas Legislature, will deliver that report to all statewide elected officials.

In the most recent 87th session of the state Legislature TSHL presented 54 resolutions for consideration. Sixteen of those resolutions became law.

Kendall County’s population of those 65 or better numbers more than 10,000 — as many such residents as there are students in our public schools here.

This older cohort represents 20% of our population locally compared to the statewide figure of just 12%.

Clearly Boerne and Kendall County are destination venues and older Texans are our fastest growing population demographic.

Please make plans to attend this Kendall County Legislative Town Hall and help the TSHL identify issues, problems, and resolutions that are important to you.

Among topics to be discussed are criminal justice; human services; pensions, investments, insurance, financial services; retirement and aging; rural-urban; and utilities and natural resources.

Those planning to attend can contact me, Ed Rogers, by emailing to: [email protected], or by calling or texting 210-296-7609.

For details about TSHL, see our website at: www.tshl.org. Contributions to the TSHL Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, may be made at www.tshlf.org.