TSHL already at work for 2023 State Legislative Session
During the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature's 2022 Legislative Session held in Austin the first week of May, 71 resolutions (recommendations) were proposed, and after committee reviews and the final vote, 54 were approved for the TSHL Legislative Report to the State Legislature for its 2023 session.
Our members have already begun the advocacy process for the upcoming State Legislative Session beginning January 2023 through phone calls, emails, written testimony, and presence at legislative committee meetings in Austin. It is critical that we get consideration of our recommendations started so that they have the potential to become part of State priorities in the lawmaking process. And we are beginning the scheduling of meetings with each legislator or their staff for early September.
All 54 resolutions passed by the TSHL are important! But, we also identified the Top 10 Priority Resolutions impacting older Texans, as listed below with their ranking number and resolution number:
Top 10 Priority TSHL Resolutions
#1 – R003 Increase the Personal Needs Allowance for Medicaid Residents in Nursing Homes
#2 – R041 Child-Related Income Follows the Child (kinship custodial placements)
#3 – R046 Increase the Readability of the Application and Vote-by-Mail Documentation to Reduce the Rejection Rate
#4 – R024 Authorize TRS to Provide a Cost-of-Living Adjustment to Teacher Retirement System Retirees
#5 – R001 Require a Criminal Background Check for CNAs and LVNs in Nursing Homes and Home Health Companies
#6 – R022 Authorize a 13th Month Annuity Payment to Employees Retirement System (ERS) Retirees
#7 – R042 Amend Family Code to Provide for a Grandparent Conservatorship and Support Bill
#8 – R037 Improve Access to Healthcare in Rural Texas for Older Texans
#9 – R008 Establish Full Practice Authority (FPA) for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs)
#10 – R009 Increase the Maximum Rate of Home-Delivered Meals for Older Texans to $10.00 with an Annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment.
All the resolutions can be viewed on the tshl.org website under Legislative Report.
The TSHL Resolutions cover a number of key areas of senior concern: financial security, rural healthcare, nursing care, nutrition, and prevention of elder abuse. Also, our members addressed two additional, but critical areas – the grandparent raising grandchildren issues (see #2 and #7) and promoting older Texans’ participation in the election process through a more effective mail-in-ballot (see #3).
More recently, on July 11, Representative Drew Darby swore in our latest TSHL representative, Linda Cahill from San Angelo by way of Sonora. We are delighted to have Linda join our ranks as we work hard on the behalf of older Texans. This final year in our current 2-year term in TSHL will be spent advocating for these resolutions to be adopted, passed, and signed into law by the Governor.
The Concho Valley is well-represented by the following: Wayne Merrill of San Angelo, TSHL Comptroller; Dr. Sharon Kulig and Linda Cahill of San Angelo; Cindy Jones of Mason, and Brigitte Rogers of Sonora, along with Dr. Sherry Hubbard of Junction. The TSHL representatives serve under the auspices of the Concho Valley Area Agency on Aging and the Council of Governments.
Dr. Sherry Hubbard is a Kimble County resident and a Concho Valley Representative to the TSHL, serving her fourth two-year term. She is the current TSHL Speaker Pro Tem. Contact: sherryhubb1@yahoo.com Website: www.tshl.org
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: TSHL already at work for 2023 State Legislative Session
