The 42nd annual conference of the Silver Haired Legislature took place in Jefferson City on Oct. 21-23 with the 131 delegates in attendance chosing their top five priorities and formulating plans to advocate for senior issues during the coming legislative session.
Missouri’s Silver Haired Legislature is composed of 15 volunteers, age 60 or older, from each of the 10 statewide Area Agencies on Aging. These 150 senior activists, elected by their peers, identify and advocate for issues critical to older Missourians.
After spirited debate in the legislative chambers, the delegates chose these issues as their top five priorities for the 2016 legislative session:
1. Increase funding for the home-delivered and congregate meals provided by the Area Agencies on Aging.
2. Increase the Medicaid home delivered rate by 10 percent, increasing the current rate of $5.74 to $6.31.
3. Expansion of Missouri Medicaid.
4. Increase MO Health Net allowable asset amount to $2,000 for an individual and $4,000 for a couple and incrementally thereafter.
5. Establish the Senior Services Enhanced Funding program.
Senators attending from the Northwest delegation were John Murphy of Maysville, Robert Skeens of Bethany, and David Martin of Chillicothe. Representatives attending from the Northwest delegation were James Crenshaw of Lathrop, Shirley Leakey of Gallatin, William Casey of Mercer, William Minton of St. Joseph, Richard Logan of Maryville, Phyllis Smith of Mound City, Shirley Pierce of Grant City, Lorraine Helm-Higgins of Stanberry, Thomasine Phillips of Albany, Troy Lesan of Gallatin, Sharon Murphy of Maysville and Larry Cady of Maryville.
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